Last Night
by MayushiiYin
Summary: Things were going great for Akira Hanakawa, until she found herself in her boss' bed with no recollection of the previous night. Worst of all, her boss is famous Itachi Uchiha. Her life couldn't get any more cliché if she tried. (AU. Warning: Contains lemons)
1. Chapter 1

My eyes snap open suddenly, and I take in my surroundings.

The sudden bright light makes my head pound and I groan in pain. I rub my forehead gently, hoping to ease the pain.

I don't recognise this room.

The walls are beige; the furniture is so expensive looking. This is definitely not my bed. My bed was cheap and is uncomfortable whereas this bed is like a cloud, not to mention my sheets are a bright pink and these sheets are white.

I sit up, completely startled. The sudden movement making the room spin dizzily.

The sheets that were covering my body slip down, and reveal my naked torso. I squeal and yank it up quickly as my eyes dart to the figure lying next to me.

Oh god.

No.

His long black hair is sprawled out against the white pillow, a stark contrast, and his eyes are shut. His gorgeous face looking serene and peaceful. Like me, he's completely naked too.

Why him?

I sit there completely frozen and speechless.

Yes this is a dream come true, but to be honest, I would have much preferred it if it stayed that way – just a dream.

I throw the sheets off me quickly and hop out, picking up my discarded clothes quickly and yanking them back onto my body. Once dressed, I quickly run my hands through my messy hair and look around for my bag.

"Fuck!" I swear under my breath as I dart around the room, my search for my bag completely and utterly fruitless. I leave the room and find my shoes and bag down the hallway in a messy pile. I must have been in quite the rush when I arrived here…

I pick them up and flee the apartment as quickly as possible, not wanting to spend another minute here.

LNLN

"Yuki! It isn't funny!" I hiss towards my best friend. Her warm brown eyes close and she throws her head back as laughs posses her body.

"Not only do you look like shit, but you slept with your boss? You do realise that's the most cliché story you've ever told me." Yuki quips once the laughter subsides. I clench my mug of tea harder.

"I'm being serious!" I retort.

"I know, I know. I believe you. What are you going to do about it though?"

I shrug and I look around her living room, my eyes wide with fright due to the situation at hand. Her living room is untidy as usual, magazines sprawled over her coffee table, and her bright green walls are covered in pictures and posters, all of which have been stuck up with blue-tac. I'm perched on her old leather sofa and she's sitting in her favourite baby blue arm chair.

Yuki runs her hand through her highlighted hair and she smirks. "Well, there's not much you can do. You could go to the local paper and sell your story. Make some money out of it. Since he's an adored celebrity, maybe you'll gain celebrity status from it too."

I shake my head quickly. "No! I'll be fired from my job! I also don't want to be known for sleeping with my boss! Who does that?" I splutter in protest. The whole idea of being famous is revolting, and I doubt the money I'd get from it would cover the money I could possibly make at Uchiha Lawyers. No one would want to hire me if I'll end up backstabbing the company in some way. It's a bad idea, I'm better off staying quiet and pretending it never happened.

"You apparently." She takes a sip from her own mug. I narrow my eyes at her and tilt my head to the side.

"There's no way I can turn up to work on Monday, I'll call in sick or something. I'll just pray he doesn't remember it too."

"Wait… you don't remember what happened?"

"No! I went out with my work friends as usual, and I think I got too drunk. Last thing I remember is drinking another shot and then I woke up in his bed!" I say, my voice trembling.

"Wow. It sounds even more cliché than it did before. Congrats babe, you're the main character in an overly cliché story." She smirks when I throw a glare at her. "Anyway, more importantly, was it his apartment? If so… the paps may have spotted you." As the words leave her mouth she puts her mug down on a magazine and picks up her phone.

"Well yeah… it definitely wasn't a hotel room and no one else was there."

Yuki's perfect eyebrows furrow slightly as she scrolls through what I assume to be a news article. "Yeah, bad news. You were spotted. 'Mystery girl leaves Itachi Uchiha's apartment this morning after a wild night!'" My eyes widen and tears prick my eyes.

"I can never step foot outside. I'm going to have to move to China and change my name." I begin to panic.

"Chill. You'll be fine. I'm sure Itachi has it under control and is probably shutting down the stories." She says reassuringly, but somehow I know the damage has already been done.

I place my mug down on the coffee table and bury my face in my hands.

"My mum is going to kill me." I mumble.

That is how I, Akira Hanakawa, turned into the main character of a cliché story, as my best friend lovingly put it. I might as well change my name to Mary-Sue and get rid of my flaws.

I look up at my friend. "What should I do?"

"Well, I don't think it's ideal for you to show your face out. Going home is a bad idea, you'll get followed and they'll figure out where you live." Yuki mumbles, her eyes staring at her blank TV screen.

"I need to go home though! Someone has to feed Kyoko!" I object. "You must have some sort of disguise. I don't know, a wig or something?"

Yuki's brown eyes look over to me. "Brilliant idea, Einstein." She says sarcastically. "You ain't going nowhere in that dress. They'll recognise you for sure."

"Let me borrow clothes? I'll wash them and give them back, I promise." I beg.

"Fine. Let me get something for you. Then you get dressed, you throw a wig on and we head to your house. They won't look twice at us."

With a blonde wig, faded pair of blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt on, we leave her apartment building.

As she predicted, there are several people hanging around outside with cameras around their necks. They're all engaged in conversation, their eyes watching the doors like hawks.

 _Please don't recognise me!_

They don't bat an eyelid at us as we walk past them, I keep my head down as we walk quickly to her car and climb in.

"I don't think they recognise me." I mumble when we're in the safety of her car. I look over to see Yuki holding a pair of sunglasses to me. I take them gratefully and slip them on my face as Yuki puts her own on.

"Good, we should be able to get away." She says happily. She pulls out of her parking space and drives past the paparazzi, still completely unnoticed.

"Still cliché?" I ask Yuki.

"Hmm… I don't think so. Unless you turn up to work and he confesses his undying love for you."

I snort. "Ha! Like that will ever happen. He probably doesn't know I exist."

"That there is a line straight out of a cliché novel. You do realise plagiarism is illegal, right?" Yuki says, a playful tone in her voice.

I roll my eyes, even though her eyes are on the road and not looking at me. "It's true though. I'm just an employee."

"More cliché-ness right there. Babe, if you keep on plagiarising I'm gonna have to take you to court."

"But it's the copyright holders…" I say but Yuki interrupts me before I could finish my sentence.

"I'll alert them then." She glances over at me and smirks. I laugh.

"Okay, sure." I say and smile.

We finally pull up to the block of apartments where I live. It's a pretty basic apartment block, with stairs leading up to the floors. There are no paparazzi outside luckily, as they probably haven't yet found out where I live. Thank God.

"Thank you so much for doing this for me, I'll give everything back soon, I promise." I open the car door and step out. I give her a quick wave and walk up the steps to my apartment door.

I pull my key out of my bag and unlock the front door and step inside. Kyoko, my orange tabby cat, quickly runs to me and meows happily at my return.

"I'll give you your breakfast now. I'm sorry I'm late home." I bend down to quickly scratch her ear before heading to the kitchen. I reach to the box of cat food above the fridge and pull a sachet out. I rip it open and empty the food into her dish.

My apartment is small. It's just the living room/kitchen, my bedroom and a bathroom. It's all I need. I could afford something slightly bigger and live comfortably, but I don't need the room. I definitely couldn't afford anything in Tokyo, it's so expensive to live there. Plus, I'm closer to my parents here and this is where I grew up. The commute to work isn't too bad though, it could be worse.

I head to my bedroom and grab some clean clothes before heading to my bathroom to shower.

LNLN

 _Mystery Girl Leaves Itachi Uchiha's Apartment After a Wild Night!_

 _At roughly 11am this morning a mystery girl was spotted leaving Itachi Uchiha's apartment. Is she his new fling?_

 _They were spotted together last night at a club where Itachi was celebrating his 25_ _th_ _birthday with his colleagues and friends._

 _More updates will follow shortly!_

Throughout the article were pictures of us dancing together last night, as well as me leaving his apartment in a rush.

I only ever went to the club because Izumi, the lawyer I'm a personal assistant for, invited me. She's quite close to Itachi, so she was obviously invited, and she invited me since I needed "a night out". I hadn't met Itachi before then, obviously I'd passed him in the corridor and muttered a "hello" to him out of politeness, but that was it. He never really looked my way.

Wow, this couldn't get any more cliché. I roll my eyes.

It doesn't help that Itachi is famous for being an Uchiha (they're Japan's most famous family) and because he's incredibly good looking.

I remember most of what happened last night. I turned up with Izumi, had a few drinks, spoke to Itachi for a bit, danced with him for a bit… had some drinks and then nothing.

Oh God. It couldn't get anymore cliché than that. My phone buzzes in my hand and I look at it, a picture of my mum is on the screen. I tap the green icon and put my phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I say awkwardly, scared of what my mum has to say about it all.

"So how did it go?" She asks. Has she not seen the news yet? Hopefully she's too busy working and hasn't seen it yet. I cross my fingers.

"Good, I had a lot of fun." I say quickly. Hoping to end the conversation as soon as possible so she doesn't ask what time I got home. "I have left over work to do-"

"Aki, I've seen the news articles." She says. My heart sinks.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me that happened this morning?" She asks.

"Uh…" The words get stuck in my throat. "I-I um…"

"Spit it out."

"You know that I don't agree with one night stands!" I blurt. "And he's my boss! It's not right. What if I get fired?" I begin to nibble at my nail on my index finger.

"I'm sure you won't get fired. If you do, you can work for me and your father, so don't worry about not having money for your bills." She offers reassuringly. However, I don't think that working for my parents is appealing. I'm supposed to be independent, I want to be free and working in a career path I want. I didn't spend several years at university to just get landed with a job I could have gotten previously without a degree.

"Still! I don't think I can ever show my face there again!"

Mum doesn't say anything but I can hear my younger sister. She's too quiet to properly distinguish what she's saying. "Rin wants to talk to you." The phone is passed over and I hear my sister instead.

"Hi! Omg you slept with Itachi!" She squeals. Meet my younger sister, the more outgoing and excited version of me.

"Sshh." I hush her. "I don't know if I did…"

"But you left his apartment this morning! You two totally banged! Fuck yeah, my sister is a celebrity." She continues to squeal happily. I roll my eyes.

"I'm not a celebrity. They don't even know my name and in a weeks time I'll be forgotten about."

"But Itachi rarely has one night stands, you'll totally be remembered, sis!" I sigh.

"I doubt it. I'm just going to hang low for a few days, call in sick on Monday and then everything after that will go back to normal." I pause. "I'm not going to be a celebrity."

"Everyone is talking about it though. Soon they'll know your name and you'll be famous." She stops talking and I hear my mum talking to my sister. "Sorry, Aki, but I have to go help mum with the shop. Talk later!" The line goes dead as she hangs up. I sigh.

My sister wasn't wrong, hours later my name is plastered everywhere.

It seems like Itachi hasn't been able to stop them from reporting what happened.

LNLN

The automatic doors open for me and I step into the empty building. I make my way towards the lift and press the button. The doors open and I step inside.

I never thought I'd have to return to work so soon. I've never been here on a Sunday, so it feels so foreign.

The lift doors open once more and I step out onto an unfamiliar floor. I've only ever gone to the fourth floor, which is where Izumi's office is.

I walk down the hallway and look at all the name tags on the doors, some names I recognise and some I don't. At the end is the door with Itachi's name on it and I knock.

"Come in."

I open the door and step into a very well furnished room, almost identical to Izumi's office. Except she has more pictures in hers. Itachi Uchiha's is rather plain, much like his bedroom.

Itachi is sat behind his desk in a very expensive suit, his eyes on me. My face turns red and I awkwardly walk towards the spare chair in front of the desk.

"Good morning," I say politely and he nods.

"You may have seen the news articles that were published yesterday." I nod. "By the time I realised they had been published, it was too late to do anything." I cross my legs awkwardly when he pauses.

"Am I being fired?" I ask, my voice trembling. He shakes his head. His hair moving slightly from the motion.

"That would only add more fuel to the flames. Right now it's just rumours, there's no solid evidence that we slept together." My cheeks burn more. "I've decided to just tell the press that nothing happened, that we're nothing more than friends and you got too drunk so I took you to my house to make sure nothing bad happens to you." I nod. He pushes a piece of paper towards me and I look down at it. A contract. "I'd like you to sign this. This means that if you go to the press about what happened I'm able to sue you. You are to not say a single word to anyone about what happened and if anyone asks you are to say we're just friends."

"Okay, Uchiha-san." I say and grab the pen next to the piece of paper. I scribble my signature down and place the pen down on the desk.

"It'll also be a good idea that we meet up from time to time in a friendly manner. It will help sell the story that we're nothing more than friends and that nothing happened." He says calmly. My face heats up more. Could this get any more cliché? I resist the urge to bury my face in my hands and scream. "That is all. You may leave. Thank you for your cooperation." He says and I nod. I stand up from the chair and bow.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san. Good bye." I then quickly leave the office and head home.

 _'That was odd'_ I think to myself when I'm sat on a quiet train.

Couldn't he have asked me tomorrow to sign it? All of that to just sign something. Does he not realise that not everyone is filthy rich and can afford a quick trip to work?

I guess he was probably worried I'd run to the press with the story – even though I don't remember anything, but then he doesn't know I don't remember. I would make a ton of money from it, he's probably worried that that would be enough to convince me to sell what happened.

It's not like I would anyway, not for millions and billions of yen. Never. I don't want to be famous, I like being unknown. I like being able to go shopping without strangers recognising me.

The rest of the train journey is quiet, but when I leave the station there's photographers everywhere. It's too late to turn now, they've already spotted me. Fantastic.

"There she is! Hanakawa-san! Look this way!" One of them calls out to me. I quickly tilt my head forward and push past them.

"What was it like? Please tell us. Give us all the details!"

I pick up the pace and make my way to my parents' house. I'd rather they didn't know where I live, and the stories about my parents' shop might bring business.

"Aki!" My sister says excitedly from behind the counter. She's wearing her green apron, meaning she's taking over for my parents.

"Where's mum and dad?" I ask quickly, I look behind me. "I think I'm being followed."

"By who?" She says, excitement filling her voice. Her blue eyes glimmer with anticipation.

"By paparazzi. I need to hide."

"Why? Sell your story! Become famous!" She stands in the way of the door leading to my parents house. She crosses her arms.

"I can't tell anyone. I signed an agreement." I hiss at her, I throw a glance over my shoulder and see that no one is there yet. I quickly push my body into her without warning and she budges. I make it through the door and slam it shut.

I make my way up the stairs and into the bathroom. I slam the door shut and slide the lock into place. I lean against it.

"Hopefully I don't have to stay here too long. I really need to go home to catch up on TV." I look around the clean bathroom. I close the toilet lid and sit on it. I pull my phone out and open up my internet browser.

 _"Who is Akira Hanakawa?!_

 _"After some digging, we've found that she's an employee for Uchiha Lawyers! She works under famous Izumi Uchiha, one of Itachi's close friends. So it's no surprise that the two met this way! How romantic! She's living every girl in Japan's fantasy."_

I roll my eyes at that statement and continue reading.

 _"She's 24 and graduated from Tokyo University. She must be intelligent, and this must be why Itachi fell for her. She's rather plain, especially compared to Itachi Uchiha's rumoured previous ex girlfriends."_

I frown at the statement. Then I see the silver lining. "Haha! I'm not a Mary-Sue in some cliché novel! They're all gorgeous! Take that, Yuki."

Chances are Itachi was very drunk, like how I was, and it was a mistake. Chances are that once this blows over he'll forget who I am.

I type in the popular gossip news site into a search engine and look at its most recent articles.

 _"Just Friends? Itachi and Akira's relationship!_

 _""Nothing happened between Itachi Uchiha and Akira Hanakawa. Itachi Uchiha had taken Akira Hanakawa to his house after she got too drunk and was too ill to go home by herself. They're good friends and he wanted to make sure she was better before letting her go home." A reliable source has just revealed._

 _"It's not the first time that Itachi Uchiha's relationship rumours have been shut down as the pair were reportedly "just friends". Either they want to keep their relationship on the dl for now, or they aren't an item. We'll never know."_

I lock my phone and dump it back in my bag.

I unlock the bathroom door and open it, I poke my head around the corner to see that the hallway is empty. I make my way down the stairs and open the door to the shop. I open it a bit to see the shop is empty, and so is the front of it.

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and open the door fully.

"There you are. They've just left." She says. She flicks her brown hair over her shoulder and glares at me. "You had the perfect opportunity to get famous, Aki."

"Maybe I don't want to be famous?" I snap and walk out of the shop.

The roads are empty and I make my way to my apartment. My stomach rumbles and I realise that I haven't yet had lunch, and it's already about mid-afternoon. I almost sprint home, desperate to eat something.

I get to work 15 minutes early as usual, and paparazzi are already stood outside. I guess I'll have to run in, I can't exactly hide out here until they leave. They might never leave.

I ignore them like I did last time and make my way into the building, where security guards stopped them from following me.

I sit down behind my desk and turn on my computer. Izumi Uchiha is here before me as usual.

"Good morning, Hanakawa-san." She says and smiles. Her brown hair is pulled up into a bun – which is different from her usual ponytail. I wonder what sparked the change?

"Good morning, Uchiha-san." I reply. "Is there anything you want me to do?"

"Oh yeah. Hold on a sec." She opens her drawers and goes through her folders. She pulls one out and passes it to me. "I need you to email my client, the day for her court hearing has changed." I take it from her and see a sticky note on the front with the new date and time written on it.

As I type out the email, Izumi speaks.

"So, I heard Itachi-chan brought you here yesterday. What happened?" She asks, I turn to look at her and her eyes are on her computer screen.

"Yeah. He just got me to sign something, so if I went to the press I could get sued." I confess.

"Of course." She chuckles. "He's very careful. He doesn't want to ruin his image. His name and this business means the world to him, he doesn't want to disappoint his parents and the reputation they've made."

I stop typing and look at Izumi. Her dark eyes are carefully watching me, she has a soft smile sitting on her lips.

"I wouldn't do anything to ruin that. I promise. I'm not that sort of girl; I won't ruin someone for my own fame. I don't even want fame." I say honestly. Izumi's smile widens.

It briefly turns into a smirk and she turns back to her work. "That's very good to hear, Hanakawa-san."

LNLN

I take a sip from my mug as I browse through the news articles on my phone. I'm currently sitting in the break room during lunch. I'd go out to eat as I usually do, but chances are I'll be followed by the paparazzi. Yeah, no thanks.

So the break room it is.

"I thought I'd find you here." A cheerful voice says. My head snaps up and I see Izumi leaning against the chair opposite me. In her hand is a paper bag. She drops it down in front of me. "I grabbed you lunch, I don't want you to starve."

"Thank you, you didn't have to." I say politely. She smiles at me.

"You're very welcome. I have a meeting to get to, so I'll see you later." She quickly leaves the room. I open up the bag to see a toasted sandwich, something I normally buy for lunch. I pick it up and begin to eat it.

I continue scrolling through the news. There's lots of articles speculating whether we're secretly dating or whether we really are just friends. Most bring up the fact that Itachi has never had a public relationship, and they've all been secret and labelled as just 'friends'.

" _In the past he's claimed they were just friends and then he was never seen with them again. We all suspected a possible break up, maybe she wasn't happy about being a secret? He hasn't had many girlfriends, but they've all ended up the same way. They've all been known though, not as famous as he is, but known. They were all either daughters of rich men or they were quite high up in a business or company. They were all claimed as just being 'just friends' too._

 _Akira Hanakawa, however, is rather unknown, which is what makes this particular story rather unusual. Itachi being secret about it isn't unusual though; which is why we believe that she is his girlfriend. It could be that they're just friends, but they've never been spotted together. So they've either recently gotten together or it was a one-night stand._

 _Maybe she'll end up like his previous flings and we'll never spot them together again._

 _Time will tell."_

I take a bite out of my sandwich grumpily. They're not wrong about the one-night stand, but we're definitely not dating. He's my boss for heaven's sake. I'm never ever dating my boss, it's weird and it's wrong. I could never fall in love with my boss either, even if he is really good looking.

I finish my sandwich and I crumple up the paper bag before tossing it into the bin. I stalk back to Izumi's office and continue answering emails, waiting patiently for her to return from her meeting.

The news articles continue to swim around my brain persistently. Itachi couldn't have thought of a better excuse, could he? "Just friends", really? Of course they won't believe that. It's the excuse all celebrities use these days. He could have said I'm good friends with Izumi and I got too drunk, so he took me home to look after me: since Izumi was quite drunk herself.

Unless he plans on using the whole "just friends" to his advantage, but I doubt that. If he really wanted to be friends he could just talk to me, I'm his employee after all. Even better, why would he want to be friends with me? I'm some unknown employee who lives in some small town. I'm lower middle class, nothing special. I went to an average school; I did end up going to a really good university but that's beside the point. I'm painfully average, I'm not even that good looking. I've had one boyfriend and he was completely crazy.

I don't belong in his world, and he knows that.

Me being invited to his party was a one off. It was just because I get along well with Izumi and she wanted to get me to have a night of fun; because apparently I'm quite a loner who does nothing but binge drama shows on TV.

"Hello, Hanakawa-san!" Izumi greets cheerfully. She falls onto her desk chair and immediately sets to work. I look at my screen and realise I'm still on email number one. My blood leaves my face and I immediately set to work, typing like I've never typed before.

"I have great news, Hanakawa-san!" Izumi says in a sing-song voice several emails later. "Itachi-chan wants us all to go out Wednesday night. You're invited, of course. I think you made quite the impression on him." She winks at me and my cheeks turn red. Not at the fact that she winked at me, I don't swing that way, but the mention of Itachi.

 _"Why am I acting like such a teen?"_ I hiss to myself in my head. " _I don't like him. No way. He's my boss. Be gone, impure thoughts._ "

"Sure, I'll go." I agree. "Where is it and what time?"

"It's at the new restaurant that has just opened. We've arranged for a taxi to pick you up at 7 at your apartment. The dress code is formal, so make sure to wear something appropriate." She gives me a wink before her eyes revert back to her computer.

I nod and return to answering emails.

LNLN

"No way! You're already seeing him again? Haha. Oh wait a sec… I'm getting a call. From all the authors of those trashy Mary-Sue stories. They're taking you to court for copyright infringement." Yuki cackles at her own joke, and I can imagine her head tilting backwards as she laughs relentlessly.

"It's a work dinner!" I protest. I readjust my phone to my other ear as my arm begins to ache. I grab a cushion from my sofa and rest it on my lap.

"It's a date," Yuki says in a taunting tone. "It's totally a date and you know it."

"No! There's going to be so many people there from work. It's not a date." I protest more and it only adds fuel to the fire that is Yuki's laugh.

"It's a multiple date then. Everyone is dating." Yuki laughs more. The sound distorting in my ear. I roll my eyes.

"It's a work do, Yuki." I sigh.

"I know, I know. Just let me ship my ship. I ship you two. You'd make the perfect couple in some trash fiction." She giggles.

"Please don't ship me and my boss. It's weird."

"No it's not. Everyone ships …" Yuki pauses as she tries to think of a famous couple who are boss and employee.

"You can't think of anyone, can you?" I laugh.

"Wait a sec." I hear her nails tapping on her laptop's keyboard.

"Googling it is cheating, babe."

"No it isn't! I'm calling a friend. It's allowed in quiz shows, it's allowed here." I roll my eyes at my best friend, even though she can't see me.

There's silence on the line for a few minutes, I sit back and wait patiently. "Everyone ships Edward and Bella! That's just gross, he's one hundred and something and she's 17." Yuki protests.

"I'm guessing your search on popular boss-employee fiction was fruitless?" I mock.

"No! You just don't know of any of the books. You know Twilight, everyone knows Twilight."

"I'm not dating my boss."

"But you could be living in your own Twilight fanfiction world! Maybe he's into BDSM…"

"I'm not dating my boss, Yuki."

"He's only had a handful of girlfriends too… and they don't speak about their relationship… and he had you sign an agreement…" Yuki trails off. I let out another sigh.

"He had me sign an agreement so I don't run to the press about sleeping with him, not to stay quiet about his extra-curricular activities." I explain.

She huffs in disappointment. "Just let me ship it."

"No."

 **A/N: Hello! Welcome to my story!**

 **I was unsure whether I should post this or not, but as you can tell I decided to.**

 **Please leave a review! I want to know what you think :)**

 **\- Yin**


	2. Chapter 2

I'm heavily underdressed compared to the rest of the people at this restaurant. Including my work colleagues.

The men are wearing expensive and custom-made suits, and the women are wearing lavish dresses made by very famous fashion designers.

Here I am, in my nicest dress, a small fraction of the price of what some women spent on their dresses.

I tug at the material of my black dress. The skater skirt swishing around my legs when I let go of it. It has a high neckline, sleeves that cover my shoulders and the skirt reaches my knees. I'm not overexposed, yet I feel like I am. It's not my fault I'm not from a wealthy family, and I'm the only person here that is a personal assistant.

I make a decent living, of course I would, I work for one of the best companies in the country. I'm not a lawyer though, so I don't make as much. I make enough to get by and that's it. I don't have enough to live comfortably in the city centre, but I make enough to live comfortably in my home town. That's all I want, a comfortable life.

Not only do the lawyers make quite a bit more money, most of them are also from very wealthy families. There are the occasional few who are from working class families like myself, but most are pretty rich. They can afford to spend a ton of money on a dress or suit they'd wear occasionally. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought the dress purely for this evening and they'd never wear it again. Rich people are pretty wasteful.

I definitely don't have enough money to spend a few hundred thousand yen on a dress I'd only wear once or twice, because let's be honest, I don't get invited to posh restaurants every day.

"I love your dress!" Izumi exclaims, her grin wide on her face. I blush at the sudden unexpected compliment.

"Uh… thank you." I say quietly, feeling quite awkward about the compliment. "I love your dress, it's really pretty." Izumi's dress is peach, its neckline falling just below her collarbones, the skirt slightly loose around her legs. The dress accentuates her figure. Her makeup is rather light, making her dark brown eyes stand out. Her hair is done up nicely into a nice up do.

We're then all led to our table. As I walk through the restaurant, I notice how nice it is. I don't want to know how much the company is spending on it. I'm guessing they have quite a few work dos, but since I'm a personal assistant I rarely get invited to them. Just the one at Christmas really, and that's always held in our building. Never anything flash like this. Purely because so many employees would be attending, it'd be impossible to hire out a whole restaurant for all of us, let alone how expensive it would be. So the company always makes use of the large hall on the ground floor in the building.

It's weird that I have been invited, I wonder if Izumi asked if I could go? Or was it Itachi's doing? It is a new restaurant after all, paparazzi stand outside when places like this open, just to see what celebs go in to try it out.

I wouldn't be surprised if this was a stunt to make us seem more like friends, so the press and public stop speculating.

The table is rather large, obviously since there's quite a few of us here. It's lined with very expensive looking cutlery and wine glasses. There are cards with our names on them, signalling where we need to sit.

I make sure to look at everything and try to remember what it's like here, since chances are I won't see an expensive restaurant like this again. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone like me.

I sit down in my seat and Izumi sits down next to me. Someone I don't know sits on my other side, and surprisingly Itachi sits opposite. It shouldn't be surprising, maybe he always sits near Izumi? They are close friends after all.

The man on my left turns to me, his black eyes and black hair makes me instantly believe that he's an Uchiha too. His resemblance to Itachi is quite close, but then most Uchiha look the same.

I can't help but notice that he looks familiar… where from though?

I don't exactly follow the Uchiha, I never really followed celebrities. Even when I was a teen in school, I was more concerned about doing well so I could go to a decent university.

That doesn't mean that I can't name a few of them, they are very powerful and very famous in Japan.

Shi..Shi…

I rack my brain for his name. I'm fairly certain he's Itachi's best friend and cousin.

Shi…

"Hello! My name is Shisui Uchiha!" He greets, a playful grin sweeps his face.

I realise I've been staring at him and my face turns red with embarrassment.

"Uh… hello. My name is Akira Hanakawa, it's nice to meet you." I greet awkwardly. Luckily it doesn't feel too weird to be surrounded by celebrities, most people would be losing their minds right now, my little sister included. Not me. They're just people, so their status in society doesn't really bother me. Although, if I met a member from my favourite band I would squeal a little bit. I'm only human, okay?

"It's nice to meet you too, aha. Itachi has told me a lot about you." He scratches the back of his head as he grins at me. A quick glance in Itachi's direction shows that he's not too happy about Shisui's confession, but he sits there in silence. Quietly watching the exchange.

"He has?" I question. My cheeks redden more, what did Itachi tell Shisui? I'm starting to worry about what happened that night, I don't remember any of it. What did I do?

"Yeah. He told me how you two met…" Shisui catches Itachi's eyes and his voice trails off. Itachi's glare deepened, leaving Shisui sitting in silence with a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

"Hanakawa-san?" Izumi asks, I turn to face her. "I forgot to ask earlier, did you finish sending out all the emails?" I nod.

"Yeah, they were all done. I don't think you received anymore after either."

"I might have done, but you can just tend to them tomorrow." Izumi replies. A small smile taints her lips, and she turns back to Itachi. "Itachi-chan, when's food arriving?"

"We still need to get our drinks first." He responds. Izumi frowns slightly. I'm guessing she's quite hungry. My stomach growls quietly, and I realise I haven't eaten anything in over seven hours.

At that moment, several waiters arrive and they place several bottles of wine on the table. There's a variety of different types and brands. Shisui picks up a bottle of white and holds it out to me.

"Do you want some wine, Hanakawa-san?" He asks politely.

"Yes please, Uchiha-san." Shisui then carefully pours me a glass of wine, my eyes meet Itachi's and I quickly look away. "Thank you very much, Uchiha-san." I say politely as he puts the bottle down. His hands find the closest bottle of red and he pours himself a glass.

I take a sip of my wine and the acidic taste hits my tongue. I try my best to not grimace. The aftertaste is quite pleasant, however, so I take another sip.

Menus are then placed in front of us, and I pick it up. I open it and my eyes widen at the prices for the food.

The red on my face finally disappears as I take in how much everything costs.

I scan through and find the cheapest thing on the menu, which luckily is a meal I like. Even though I'm not paying for it, I'd feel bad for taking advantage of the opportunity and ordering something expensive. My mother always taught me to be considerate of others, and this is me following her words.

Several minutes later, the waiters return to take our orders. They then take our menus and they walk off once again.

I notice a brief flash and I turn to the direction it came from. Sitting at a table is what appears to be a paparazzi, who's now staring at his camera. I quickly turn away, not wanting to be caught staring at him.

What should I do? Should I alert Itachi or Izumi? Or is this part of the plan? Maybe Itachi had let the paparazzi know where he'd be tonight. It could be part of a plan to sell our "friendship".

But then what if he doesn't want the paparazzi spotting him out today?

I tap Izumi's arm gently; she turns to me with her eyes full of curiosity.

"What is it?" She asks gently.

"There's paparazzi here, he's taking pictures of us." I tell her quietly. Her eyes widen slightly and she turns around, she spots him immediately and turns to Itachi. I think she gently kicks his leg under the table, as he's pulled out of a conversation with Shisui.

Izumi turns her head slightly, signalling the person sat a few tables away from us. "Paps." She mouths to Itachi. He nods.

"It's fine. We could use the publicity." He says quietly, conversations from other people almost drowning out his voice.

Another flash goes off and I resist the urge to turn around.

Does he not realise that he's being really obvious?

Suddenly, all conversation stops. I look around and see everyone is looking to where the photographer might be.

"Excuse me sir, we don't allow the use of flash photography within our premises. I'll have to kindly ask you to leave." Someone in a crisp suit snaps. His arms are folded across his chest, and he stands completely straight. He must be the manager or something, either way he has some power over this place.

The paparazzi bows his head and mutters something, before fleeing the building.

Well that's one way of getting rid of the paparazzi.

The rest of the evening flies by, I spoke to both Izumi and Shisui for most of the night, I also had a brief conversation with Itachi. The food was, of course, delicious and I savoured every mouthful.

I stumble behind everyone as we leave the restaurant, slightly regretting the several glasses of wine I had. Since I rarely drink, I don't handle alcohol well at all.

I clutch the railing as I descend the steps into the main part of the restaurant, where most guests are eating. My foot bends painfully as I misjudge where to place my heel. I feel myself fall forwards, but before I could meet the floor painfully my arm is grabbed by a rather large and warm hand.

"I'm sorry." I immediately splutter out. I quickly look up and see Shisui holding my arm. "Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"No problem, Hanakawa-san. Have you had too much to drink?" He asks, his eyes are rather warm and inviting. I nod, unable to find words. "How are you getting home?"

"I don't know." I reply honestly. I didn't arrange for my journey here and I forgot to ask Izumi how I was getting home. Shisui looks around and tries to find someone in particular within the crowd.

"Itachi!" He calls out. Everyone's heads snap towards us and I lower my head, masking my face with my hair. I really don't want people to see me in this state. Hand clutched on the railing and Shisui holding me up. I glance up and see Itachi making his way towards us, when he spots me his face fills up with concern for a very brief moment before reverting back to his emotionless gaze.

"What happened?" He asks, worry grazing his voice.

"She's had too much to drink, do you know how she's getting home or should I take her in my car?" Shisui asks, his voice hushed: probably self-conscious of the other people in the restaurant. Chances are they'll spot this little scene and run to the press to make a quick bit of cash, we don't really need to give them anything else that could make the situation more news-worthy.

"We arranged for her to get her own cab back, but since she's intoxicated I'd like someone to go with her to make sure she gets home safe." Itachi says quietly. "Could you take her? If I take her it would only make things worse for us." He whispers. Shisui nods.

"Come on, Hanakawa-san. I'll take you home." He says, his arm gently tugs mine and I let go of the railing reluctantly. I stumble slightly and Itachi holds onto my other arm, steadying me so I don't fall over.

The two of them lead me out of the restaurant, and my face burns redder than it ever has before. This is definitely going to make headlines; I've just showed myself up by getting really drunk in the restaurant. Although, people did see me stumble, so hopefully they'll believe I hurt my ankle rather than me being quite drunk.

Shisui steers me towards a car, with an old man holding a door open. Shisui gently pushes me inside the expensive vehicle, and he slides in next to me.

"Where do you live?" He asks me. I tell him my address and he repeats it to the driver.

"Thank you, Shisui-san." I say absentmindedly, my mind a blur from the alcohol. What I said sinks in. "I-I'm sorry! I mean Uchiha-san." I apologise quickly. Shisui laughs.

"Shisui-san is fine, Hanakawa-san. On the condition that I can call you Akira-san." I nod in agreement, so that my stumble doesn't seem so rude.

My eyes begin to droop closed, I try to fight to keep them open but I lose. I drift off into a gentle slumber.

I'm not sure how much time passes, but I'm suddenly shaken awake. My eyes snap open and I look around me.

"We're here, Akira-san." Shisui says. I lift my head from his shoulder. He undoes our seatbelts and then climbs out of the car. He runs around and opens up my door. He holds his hand out and I take it gratefully. I mutter a thanks to the driver and step out of the car.

"Thank you, Shisui-san. You didn't need to do this." I say gratefully. He smiles at me.

"It's my pleasure, now let's get you inside." He leads me up the steps to my apartment and I point out which door is mine. I root through my bag and find my key, I unlock my door and step inside my warm apartment.

"Thank you," I bow my head slightly. He waves and smiles at me, before descending the steps. I shut my apartment door and head towards my bed, where I fall asleep in my dress.

I sip my tea as I reply to all the emails. I somehow managed to get into work this morning, despite my awful hangover. I ignored the text from Izumi saying I should have the day off.

I also need to see a doctor after work, since my ankle is killing me. I must have damaged it quite badly when I almost fell over last night.

"You look awful, Hanakawa-san." Izumi says as she peers at me from her desk. "Itachi had requested that I offer you the day off." Itachi asked her to do that? That's surprising, I wouldn't have thought he was the one offering the day off. I thought that maybe he told Izumi that I was quite drunk and she thought of it.

"I can't let a little hangover stop me from working, it wouldn't be professional." I respond. I turn back to my computer and continue working.

"Itachi said you hurt your ankle pretty bad." Izumi says after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, it hurts quite badly." I admit, my cheeks burning. "I really didn't mean to drink so much, the wine was just so nice." I quickly defend.

"It's fine, we all make that mistake. None of us are judging you for it, and no one ran off to the press about it. Please don't worry about it so much, Hanakawa-san." Izumi says gently. She looks at me sadly, before smiling slightly.

"I'm seeing a doctor after work, I managed to get an appointment." I stop typing and swivel my chair slightly so I'm facing Izumi directly.

"That's good, we can arrange for a company car to take you there and back home?" She offers. I nod. Not having to walk all the way there will be a bonus.

"Thank you, Uchiha-san." I say gratefully. I turn back to my computer once again, and try my best to finish responding to all the emails that Izumi has received.

After replying to some more, I check my own. At the top of the list of unread emails is one from Itachi.

 _To: .jp_

 _From: .jp_

 _Dear Hanakawa-san,_

 _Please feel free to take the day off if you are feeling unwell, if you require a doctor then let Izumi Uchiha know and she can arrange for a company car to take you there._

 _I'd also like to make you aware of the fact that most news places now believe that we're just friends, thanks to the paparazzi last night. Here are some links to some news stories, if you'd like to check them out:_

 _.jp_

 _.jp_

Regards,

Itachi Uchiha

I click on the links and view the news stories.

 _"Itachi and Akira spotted out together!_

 _The pair were spotted out in the brand new restaurant last night! They were with_

 _Shisui and Izumi Uchiha. It seemed to be a company meal, however Akira hasn't attended those in the past._

 _Maybe she recently received a promotion? But research shows that she's still a personal assistant of Izumi's. Maybe it's because she's now a friend of Izumi's and Itachi's?_

 _This leads me onto our next question, when did Akira and Itachi become friends? Before his birthday party they had not been spotted out together. Izumi and Akira have been noted to have had lunch together in the past, but Akira had not been spotted with Itachi before._

 _We suspect that Izumi had introduced the pair at his party, and they became friends then. Since that's what seems more likely._

 _Akira and Itachi were spotted having brief conversations last night, but Akira seemed to talk more to Izumi and Shisui. She was also spotted leaving with Shisui and was taken home by him._

 _Only time will tell what is going on between the pair!"_

I click on the next one.

 _"Akira and Itachi just friends after all?_

 _The two were spotted at the new restaurant that opened last night. They were spotted talking to each other, but nothing more happened. Akira was also taken home by Shisui, squashing any possible hints that she's Itachi's new girlfriend. Why would his cousin take her home if she was dating Itachi?_

 _I'm sorry fellow Akichi shippers, but it's not a thing. At the moment that is. Stay tuned for more celebrity gossip stories!"_

I can't wait for the day when they stop writing about me. I hate it. It's like I'm a celebrity, something I don't want. Chances are I'll be photographed at the doctors later on. Chances are that'll fuel more rumours, if they follow me there that is.

I'm hoping they're not interested in me as long as I'm not with Itachi. They're only interested in me because there's a chance that I'm his girlfriend. So once he finds someone else or it's obvious we're nothing more than just friends, they'll leave me alone.

The rest of the day flies by, and soon enough I'm hopping into the company car that Izumi booked for me.

LNLN

The rest of the week passes by rather uneventfully. Gossip websites are quiet, concentrating on other celebrities, thankfully.

It's now Saturday, and I'm getting ready for Izumi's house party that she's organised. I don't know why, it's not her birthday and nothing special is happening. When I asked her why she just said "because I feel like having a party."

I put on a short cream dress, similar to the one I wore on Wednesday except the skirt is straight and a bit shorter.

I put on some light makeup and curl my long, black hair. Turning the messy waves into something that looks more neat and presentable. I carefully line my blue eyes, making them stand out more.

I always thought I was weird for having blue eyes, since they're not common here in Japan. I'm one quarter English, my mother is half, hence the blue eyes. I've only met a few people who don't have brown eyes.

I check the time and look outside the window. The car taking me to Izumi's is here. I pour some cat biscuits into Kyoko's bowl and give a her a quick goodbye before leaving my apartment.

When I reach Izumi's house, I'm stunned at how beautiful it is.

It's not as big as I thought, since she's probably the only person that lives here, and big houses in Tokyo are very, very expensive. It looks very modern and very square, the walls are all painted white and the roof is grey. There's an expensive car parked on the rather small driveway, and there's a gravel path leading up to the grey front door.

I ring the doorbell and wait for someone to answer it. The door opens and Izumi smiles at me.

"You're here!" She greets me cheerfully. She takes my arm and pulls me inside. She immediately offers me a drink, but I decline.

The inside of her house is just as beautiful as the outside. All the walls are a pale beige, and the floors are wooden. There's framed pictures across the walls, some of Izumi and her family and friends, others are of art pieces that are breath-taking.

I follow her into the large living room, all the chairs are occupied and everyone is engaged in conversation. There are so many people here, some I recognise as other celebrities, and some are employees at work. Some are complete strangers I've never met before. I spot Itachi talking to Shisui in a corner, and I make my way over to them. The paparazzi aren't here, since they're not allowed to be, so I can talk to them both without worrying about the possible repercussions.

"Akira-san!" Shisui cheerfully exclaims when he sees me. He's wearing jeans with a suit jacket, looking quite casual but smart at the same time. Itachi, on the other hand, is wearing a suit. I don't think I've seen him wear anything that's not a suit, if I'm completely honest. He does have more of a reputation to up hold, since his family are rather powerful and rich.

"Hello, Shisui-san." I smile at him. I turn to Itachi. "Hello, Uchiha-san." I say politely, I bow my head slightly.

"Hanakawa-san," Itachi says politely. There's a cold edge to his eyes.

"So how are you both?" I ask, feeling slightly bad for ending their conversation and replacing it with an awkward silence.

"I'm very good, thank you, and yourself?" Shisui replies instantly. I nod.

"I'm good, thank you." I turn to Itachi, noticing he hasn't yet replied. "Uchiha-san?"

"I'm good, thank you." He replies, his eyes are still cold and they flicker from me to Shisui. I look at him questioningly.

Shisui playfully pushes Itachi's shoulder. "Well, I'm going to get another drink. Want anything, Akira-san?" He offers. I shake my head and decline. "I'll leave you two to it, don't have too much fun while I'm gone."

With that, Shisui leaves Itachi and me on our own.

"um… so what have you been up to?" I ask, I avoid Itachi's gaze. Not wanting him to look at me coldly. I wonder what I did wrong? Maybe I interrupted something important.

"Just work. My little brother managed to get into trouble with the press, so my father and I have been trying to repair the damage." He admits. I look up and meet Itachi's gaze. His black eyes are still quite cold, but not as much as before. They soften a bit more. "What about you? How's your ankle?"

"It's better. I've been told to stay off my feet as much as possible by the doctor, which isn't going so well." I laugh lightly and look around the room.

I turn back to Itachi and his eyebrows are furrowed. I watch as his eyes dart around the room. They stop and then snap back to me. He places his hand on my upper back and begins to lead me to another area of the living room.

Through some double doors, there's a little conservatory which is empty, except for a single bookshelf and a grey two-seater. I take a seat, and so does Itachi.

"Shisui won't know where we've gone," I say suddenly, realising that he's still getting himself a drink. My eyes widen in panic as I realise we've ditched him.

"It's fine, I'm sure he'll find us if he needs to." Itachi says monotonously. I lean back in the chair and look at Itachi, his eyes are watching my carefully.

"Thank you," I say, grateful for the seat and not having to stand on my sore foot.

"You're welcome." Itachi says softly, he smiles slightly at me. I notice that his black hair is quite long, and is tied back into a low ponytail.

We sit silently for some time, before I begin to find the silence unbearable, desperate to hear Itachi's voice for some reason I don't know.

"I don't remember what happened that night." I confess, my voice quiet. My gaze falls to where my hands are folded in my lap. I fiddle with my fingers, nervous for Itachi's reaction.

"Really?" He says after a noticeable pause. I nod.

"I think I had too much to drink. I just remember dancing with you, having another drink and then nothing. I'm sorry." I look up and into his eyes. I can't read his expression. He looks at me intently.

He tenses his jaw. "So is that why you didn't go to the press after? Because you couldn't remember what happened?" His face tenses up, his eyes harden.

I shake my head quickly, realising how my confession sounds to him. "Even if I could remember, I still wouldn't have gone to them. I don't want to be famous. I hate the idea of being famous, it's not the life I want. I like being unknown, I like people not knowing who I am when they pass me in the street." I confess, my words coming out rushed as I'm desperate to explain the truth to him. For some odd reason, I don't want him to hate me. I don't want him to think I just used him, or that I'm like every other girl in Tokyo.

His eyes soften when my words sink in. His face relaxes and he lets out a breath.

"Is that so?" The corners of his lips twitch up very slightly. I nod.

"Yo!" Shisui steps into the conservatory, his hands holding two bottles of beer. He passes one to Itachi who takes it and thanks him. "Were you two having a moment?" He asks. He smirks and his eyes fill with glee. We both shake our heads and deny that anything happened profusely. "Damn, I swear you two were having a moment. I could have gone to the press." He jokes, which earns him a slightly punch to the arm from Itachi.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, Hanakawa-san?" Itachi asks as Shisui makes himself comfortable on the floor.

"I'm sure, I'm fine for the moment. Thank you, Uchiha-san."

"Guys, could you two stop being so formal? It makes me feel so weird." Shisui complains and pouts. I look at him and my cheeks burn at the thought of being informal with Itachi. He's my boss, I'm supposed to be as formal as possible with him. If I so much as called him 'Uchiha-kun' or 'Itachi-san' I'd feel so awkward about it.

I shake my head.

"He's my boss." I protest. Shisui laughs.

"You're not at work, and it's a Saturday." Shisui retorts. His grin growing. "Plus, he's my boss too and I get away with calling him Itachi-chan."

"Shisui…" Itachi says warningly. I glance at him and his eyes are narrowed at the man sitting on the floor who's grinning happily at us.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." He says and waves his hand dismissively at his cousin. "-Chan." This earns a slap around the head from said Uchiha who doesn't like Shisui's honorific of choice.

I laugh quietly at the encounter between the two cousins.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review if you did!**

 **I'm planning on updating every Friday, it may be a day early or a day late, but mostly it will be updated on Friday. Unless I have deadlines coming up, then I'll have to prioritise them, obviously. I don't want to fail my degree during my first year :p**

 **I've had no sleep during this week, my flatmates have decided that it would be fantastic (note my sarcasm) to throw a party every night (including tonight, and they're also smoking so my room stinks). I have insomnia, so it's difficult enough getting to sleep without them making a ton of noise, while they're holding a party it's impossible. I have to wait for them to take their party elsewhere, or for them to call it a night. I've tried asking them to stop and let me sleep, but their response was "just go to lectures tired." Wtf. I'm planning on waking up super early tomorrow and playing guitar really, really loud. See how they like being disturbed :p**

 **I'm sorry for the long A/N, I don't normally leave long ones, but I really need to rant :p I don't want to keep ranting to my boyfriend because I think he's getting sick of it.**

 **\- Yin**


	3. Chapter 3

Summer is slowly creeping up on us, as it's now the end of July. I'm dreading the summer heat, it's going to make work slightly unbearable, especially if the air conditioning fails like it did last year.

It also makes me hate the fifteen-minute walk from the train station to work too. Especially if the train is late and I have to run so I'm not late too. I just turn up to work as a sweaty mess. I much prefer the colder months, if I'm perfectly honest.

Thank God I don't have work today, since today is the hottest it has ever been this year.

I'm currently sat in a quiet café, waiting for Izumi and Itachi to turn up. Izumi arranged this last minute yesterday before we finished work, saying that the three of us need to try out this new café she really likes and discovered a week ago. After she wants the three of us to go bowling, as she says it will help sell our story that Itachi and I are just friends.

Itachi strides in, five minutes before the agreed time, and sits in the chair opposite me. I blush when I realise he's not wearing a suit, but is instead wearing a nice pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. His black hair is tied back as usual.

"I have bad news, Izumi has bailed." He looks rather pissed off, probably because without Izumi here, paparazzi are going to think that we're on a date. His eyebrows are furrowed and there's a small frown on his lips.

"Oh. Did she say why?" I ask, I breathe in deeply, Itachi's very expensive aftershave filling my nostrils. My cheeks burn a little more and I look away from him and instead concentrate on the few other guests in the small room. Some of them staring intently at Itachi, probably feeling a little star struck.

"Emergency meeting with her family." He says, he pulls out his wallet from his pocket. "What do you want to drink?"

"A hot chocolate please." I pull out my purse and pull out a 500 yen note; I push it across the table towards him but he pushes it back.

"I'll pay, don't worry about it." He walks over to the counter and I reluctantly put my money away. He returns with two mugs shortly, and places one in front of me.

"Thank you very much, Uchiha-san." I smile at him, and he smiles back. My heart stutters and I feel blood rush to my cheeks. I look down at my drink and give it a stir with the teaspoon provided.

"So, how are you today?" He asks suddenly, I look up from my drink, honestly surprised at the question. I feel my eyes widen slightly.

I stare at him awkwardly as I try to think of what to say, before breaking eye contact and quickly glancing down at my drink. "I'm good, thank you, what about you?" I finally reply after several moments. I mentally kick myself for being so awkward.

"I'm good." He says and I look up at him. He takes a sip of his drink, I do the same and drink a little bit of my hot chocolate. It burns my tongue and I grimace, regretting my action. "Too hot?" He asks. I realise he noticed I burned myself. Suddenly the room is a little bit too hot for my liking.

"Yeah, just a little bit." I admit, avoiding eye contact as I feel my face heat up. My eyes flicker back to Itachi for a brief second, only to catch him staring straight at me. I look away quickly, my face heating up more. I don't want to know how red my face must be, it feels like it's on fire. I must look like a tomato. A tomato on fire.

My face cools down after several moments and my eyes flicker over to Itachi, who's taking a sip from his drink. We continue to sit in silence comfortably, not having the need to fill in every gap with idle chit chat. Thankfully.

I blow the liquid in my drink and take a sip. I flinch slightly, but not as much as before. The drink is still rather hot, but it's just about bearable.

Itachi turns around to face the window pointing to outside the café, stood outside is a small group of men with cameras hanging around their necks, their eyes peering inside and staring straight at us. My heart falls into my stomach.

Itachi lets out a deep breath and turns back to me. "We should probably get going, I don't want them to take too many pictures and get the wrong idea." I nod. More pictures won't be good at all, they'll all be going crazy with the possible story.

I can already see the headlines _"Akira and Itachi on a date?!"_. No thank you, I don't want to seem more like a Mary Sue than I do already. Plus, I don't want the fame that's brought with a story in gossip magazines. Is it too much to ask to just be unknown?

Clearly it is.

We drink our drinks quickly, mine scalding my mouth and throat as I gulp down the contents in a rush, before fleeing the café.

"We should probably walk there; your car will attract them." I say in a hushed whisper as we leave, my eyes flick over to the photographers and they're consumed with taking pictures of us. I follow Itachi as he leads us away from them.

We enter the nearest shopping centre, and we hide in an empty shop. If we hid in a crowded one, someone might sell us out.

"Damn it, if Izumi was here we wouldn't have this problem." Itachi growls lowly, I barely catch it. My eyes widen in shock, it's unlike him to be angry. I've never seen him angry, even at work when he was having a go at someone for breaking the company's rules. He's always so calm and collected.

"It's fine, I'm sure it would have happened if she was here. The whole thing that happened is still fairly recent, people are interested and it's a good story to get quick money from." I say quietly, Itachi nods. "As long as we just seem like friends, the interest will die when they realise that there's nothing else to our relationship." My eyes scan the shelves, looking at the intricate handmade items lining them.

"True. They'll never leave me alone though." He sighs. "You don't have to stay friends with me after this all blows over, I know you don't like being in the news." My eyes widen and I turn to face him.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out." I say, I look away before I can see his expression. "I don't like the attention by the press, honestly. But you're human, just like me. You just happen to be in the public eye. I'm not going to discriminate you for being famous." My face heats up, much to my embarrassment.

"But I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me." Itachi says softly. I look at him and his eyes are looking around the shop.

I shake my head. "I couldn't be uncomfortable around you." If anything, I felt really relaxed around him. Yes, I didn't like it when paparazzi turn up and the thought that my face and name will be splattered across gossip websites and magazines makes me uncomfortable, but Itachi himself doesn't make me uncomfortable. He's very relaxing to be around, I don't quite know why. But if the price for being around him is having my face and name public, then it will be worth it. I just won't look at them, what I don't know won't hurt me. Ignorance is bliss, as they say.

My eyes meet his, and he looks at me with hints of shock spread across his face. His lips twitch upwards slightly. "I'm glad."

"Do you think it's safe to head to the bowling alley?" I ask and he nods.

"Let's go." When we exit the shop, there's not a single photographer in sight, so we make our way to the bowling alley which is a ten-minute walk away.

As expected, the bowling alley is crowded, due to it being a Saturday. It's full of mainly teenagers, couples on dates and families. Once again, Itachi refuses to let me pay for my half, and pays for it all himself.

"Just to warn you, I'm really bad at this." I say honestly. He laughs quietly.

"I doubt that, everyone says they're bad." I raise my eyebrows at him.

"Are you sure about that, Uchiha-san? I honestly am bad at it, last time I went bowling was when I was in high school. I did the worst out of me and my friends."

I wasn't lying, by the end of the game it was apparent that I was telling the truth, I really am bad at bowling. I only knocked a handful of pins down throughout the game.

"You weren't lying." Itachi comments when our final scores are in. I look at him and smile.

"It doesn't matter though, I don't mind losing." I say with a shrug. "I had fun."

"I'm glad, Hanakawa-san." We make our way out of the bowling alley, and to our surprise the front is crowded with paparazzi. There's a fair few of them, so someone must have spotted Itachi inside and tipped them off. My eyebrows furrow and my hands clench into fists as lights flash in our faces.

Do people not respect people's privacy?

We quickly walk past them, my short legs barely able to keep up with Itachi's longer ones. I hear them yell stuff at us as we flee.

"Hey! Uchiha-san! Hanakawa-san! Are you two on a date?!" One yells and Itachi begins to walk faster.

I follow him urgently, willing my legs to move faster. I look over my shoulder to see we're being followed. My heart hammers in my chest persistently.

"Where are we going to go?" I ask Itachi desperately. My voice shaking with panic. Why do people want to be famous, exactly? Is this sort of thing someone's cup of tea?

"I don't know, we need to lose them before we can decide." He replies. We turn down a street full of crowds of people. People gasp when they see Itachi, but then how would they not notice him when him and a girl come rushing down the street. "We're going to head to my car, I'll drop you home."

We push through the crowds, I couldn't help but notice people pull out their phones to snap a quick picture of Itachi. Eventually, we make it onto another street and I instantly recognise it. Across the road from us is the café we were in earlier, and the car park where Itachi had parked his car.

We dive into his car and he speeds out of the car park. "I'm really sorry about today. I really wasn't expecting there to be so many paparazzi outside." Itachi says as he resumes a normal speed down the road.

"It's fine." I say, my voice is quiet. I don't want to say that I hated every minute of being chased, because I don't want Itachi to think I didn't enjoy today. I enjoyed every other aspect of it, just not running from the paparazzi.

I fidget uncomfortably, my stomach full of butterflies and my heart beating faster than usual. Why do I feel like this?

"I'd like to warn you that the pictures will be everywhere on the internet. I'm so sorry. I'll have to talk to my father later, and he'll think of something to do to distract them. But I don't think anything will help. We've already said that we're just friends." Itachi apologises again. I look over at him, and my heart skips a beat. My face heats up. I tear my eyes away from him, scared by my reaction.

"It's really fine, I'll just avoid social media and news websites for a while. It's honestly fine." I say quietly. My phone lights up on my lap and I see that I have a message from Yuki.

 _From Yuki: OMG! You were on a date with Itachi? Why didn't you tell me? Your faces are plastered everywhere, everyone is freaking out about it. Are you two official yet?_

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I'll have to call her later and explain. I really hope she doesn't believe the articles and get carried away with the thought of me dating Itachi.

I lock my phone and place it face down on my lap.

We sit in the car in silence, until his car begins to pull up to my apartment.

"Thank you very much, Uchiha-san." I say as the car stops. I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the car door.

"You're welcome, it's the least I could do after we were chased by paparazzi." He says politely, I smile at him and give him a wave before shutting the car door. I make my way up to my apartment and let myself in.

LNLN

"So it wasn't a date?" Yuki asks, her hands are clasped around a warm mug of tea and her legs are propped up on my sofa. My legs are propped up too.

"No, my boss, Izumi, was supposed to be there but she bailed last minute. So, it was just the two of us. It was nothing more than a friendly outing." I explain.

"Do you fancy him?" Yuki asks randomly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She brings the mug up to her lips and takes a small sip of her drink.

"No!" I say very quickly. The word tumbles out of my mouth without any thought behind it. My face heats up and I look down at my lap. "Of course I don't, he's just my boss. I don't even know if I'd consider him a friend. He's probably only been spotted out with me to discourage the rumours. I don't think he's interested in me at all."

"Sure. You two slept together, so he must be interested in you slightly to have sex with you?" I shake my head.

"We were drunk, Yuki. I'm sure it was just a mistake." I say firmly. My heart sinks at the thought.

She sighs. "I just hope you don't end up hurt at the end."

"I won't, I don't have any feelings for him whatsoever. Once everyone forgets about me, we'll carry on with our lives like nothing happened." I say quietly. The thought of never seeing him again hurts, it's only a dull pain but it's still there. Why do I feel like this? I don't know him, I shouldn't feel this way. I can't develop feelings for him, that would be stupid of me. So incredibly stupid.

Yuki sighs again. "Okay. But if he hurts you, I'll mess his face up." She threatens. My eyes widen.

"Yuki! I won't get hurt." I say quickly. "Plus, you'll get into a lot of trouble if you hurt him. I don't want that."

"Fine. I won't beat him up."

"Don't do anything else either! No anonymously releasing false rumours about him, if it's traced back to you then you'll get into trouble!"

"Aki, don't worry. I'll only get into trouble if I'm caught." She winks at me.

"Yuki!"

She changes the conversation and we stay sat there until it's lunchtime. She leaves and I find myself alone in my apartment once more. Even Kyoko isn't here, she's outside chasing mice or playing with the other cats.

I sit down on my sofa and stare at my phone. I wonder what was written about what happened yesterday, I probably shouldn't look but my curiosity is getting the better of me.

 _Itachi and Akira spotted on a date?!_

 _Yesterday the pair were spotted at a bowling alley. Many Tweeter users uploaded pictures of the pair to the social media site and then they were photographed leaving the alley later. They had also been spotted in a café earlier that day. It was just the two of them!_

 _Some speculated that they were on a friendly outing, but due to their past we believe that it was a date! More updates to come!_

I press the back button and continue scrolling through the articles, most of them are the same. I scroll back to the top of the website and refresh it. The first article on the page catches my eyes and my stomach sinks. Tears well up in my eyes.

 _Itachi Uchiha and Tsubaki Sou are dating!_

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I'm sorry for the delayed chapter! I tried to update early since I was staying with my boyfriend from Friday-Sunday, but I wasn't happy with the chapter. So, I spent my 3 hour train journey editing it. It's not perfect, but I can't delay it anymore.**

 **I'll be updating this Friday!**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! I forgot to thank you last week, so I'm doing it now. I'm sorry for the delay. I'll also reply to guest reviewers, since I can't send them a message.**

 **Guest (chapter one): I'm glad you love it! :D**

 **Guest (chapter two): That will be revealed at some point, I've already planned out why he's interested in her. It's not set in stone though, so I'll most likely change my mind. Thank you! I did get a good sleep eventually :D**

 **See you next week!**

 **\- Yin**


	4. Chapter 4

No… it can't be true.

I click on the article, my heart hammering in my chest.

 _A source has just fed us the most exquisite piece of news this year! Itachi Uchiha has finally settled down and now has a girlfriend. This is what the inside source had to say:_

 _"Itachi Uchiha and Tsubaki Sou have been an item for over a year now. The two are very happy together and Tsubaki is planning on moving in with him very shortly."_

 _It turns out that Itachi was able to get this relationship to stay hidden for quite some time! We suspect that the whole thing with Akira was used to keep people from catching on to his relationship with Tsubaki._

 _It's also the first time he has ever dated publicly. So, the two must be very serious._

My heart hurts. It hurts so much. I lock my phone and I curl up on my sofa. Sobs cause my body to tremor.

Why does it hurt so much?

Is it true that he's just been using me all this time?

But if he's had a girlfriend this whole time, then why did he sleep with me? Why would he cheat on her?

Does he love her?

I continue to cry, I wrap my arms around my body in a weak attempt to get it to stop hurting.

Why does it hurt?

Why is there a churning feeling in my stomach? Why does the sound of her name cause me to feel so uncomfortable inside?

There's no way I like him, he's my boss. No more than a friend, if he's even that. He kept this whole thing from me. I was nothing more than a tool for him to use, someone to help distract the press from his real relationship.

I shouldn't be this hurt, nothing happened between us. We're nothing. I wipe the tears from my face and try my best to hold back from crying.

LNLN

"How are you today, Hanakawa-san?" Izumi says cheerfully as I walk into her office.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you?" I reply as I sit down in my chair. I switch my computer on and tap the desk idly as I wait for it to boot up.

"I'm good. I'm sorry about Saturday, I really didn't want to bail but my mother was holding an emergency meeting. She wants to arrange a huge party at the end of the year or something." She explains.

"It's fine, it really is." I say in return. I give her a smile and turn to my now booted up computer. I log in and wait for everything to load up.

"Did you hear the news?" Izumi says hesitantly. "The one about Itachi and Tsubaki?"

Hearing her name causes my chest to hurt, but I ignore it stubbornly. I nod, not wanting to speak out of fear my voice will betray how I'm feeling. I shouldn't be feeling this way, I have no reason to be upset. We were nothing but friends.

"You should talk to Itachi." She says simply. I shake my head.

"I don't think that would be necessary." I mutter, not knowing how to respond. Izumi looks at me sadly.

"He didn't tell you, did he?" She replies and I shake my head.

"He didn't, he never said anything. I found out online." I mutter honestly. Izumi's eyebrows furrow. She lets out a sigh.

"Maybe he didn't know how to tell you… try talking to him at some point, please." She begs, I nod and turn back to my computer. I begin to respond to emails and arranging Izumi's calendar for the following week.

The rest of the day passes by swiftly. I shut down my computer when Izumi gets ready to leave.

"See you tomorrow, Hanakawa-san." She says with a smile. I smile back and say goodbye as she leaves the room.

I collect my things and pull my bag onto my shoulder. My phone vibrates in my hand and I look at it.

 _Izumi Uchiha: Talk to Itachi! He should still be in his office. Please._

I lock my phone and disregard the text. I should talk to him, but I just don't know how to. What would I say? I wouldn't be able to say anything anyway. He did cheat on his girlfriend with me, and he never mentioned that. Was that why he was so adamant to keep it away from the press? So Tsubaki wouldn't find out?

My heart aches further. I leave the room hastily and make my way out of the building and towards the train station.

LNLN

"I'm going to skin him alive! How dare he hurt my precious Aki." Yuki snaps over the phone. I can already imagine her pacing around her apartment angrily. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes burning with the desire to cause Itachi Uchiha pain.

"Yuki, it's fine. I'll get over it. He's just my friend." I mutter quietly. I hear Yuki let out a breath of air.

"I don't care. He hurt you. Do you know where he lives?" I shake my head, even though she can't see me.

"Yuki, please. Just drop it. It's fine, honestly. I'll just carry on with my life." I try to persuade her. She sighs.

"Fine, Aki. I just don't want to see you get hurt, especially not after what happened with Hajime." I ball my hand into a fist at the mention of his name. Tears prick at my eyes and I try to keep my breathing steady. My body begins to tremble ever so slightly.

"Hajime is long gone, Yuki." I mumble. I chew on my lip anxiously. His face flashes across my mind and distant memories of seeing him in a club not too long ago.

 _My heart stopped. My breath coming out rushed. I turned around quickly. Itachi Uchiha's black eyes looked at me, full of intense worry. Do I look scared?_

 _Yes. I feel scared. I'm terrified._

 _"Help me."_

"I know, but I don't want to see you in that place again. I don't want to see you cry, I don't want to have to drag your ass down to the police so you can file a statement against someone. You deserve a lot better."

I continue to chew my lip, the reminders of the things I try so desperately to forget flashing across my mind. My heart beat continues to race and I look over my shoulder, even though it's just me and Kyoko in the flat. The doors and windows are all locked. I'm safe here. I should be safe here.

"I know." My voice sounds so weak. I cringe at how pathetic I sound. It's been four months since it ended. I should be over it now, it wasn't even that bad. People have been through much worse.

"Don't you dare start saying that you're being pathetic. What he did was cruel, very cruel. Very illegal and cruel. Just because he didn't leave physical scars, doesn't mean that there aren't scars there. Just because we can't see your scars, doesn't mean you're pathetic."

"Thank you, Yuki."

"You're welcome. I'm your best friend, we've been friends for years. It's my job to protect you and make sure you're happy, what sort of best friend would I be if I didn't help you fight your battles?"

LNLN

As the week drags on, I'm faced by news stories of the dates Itachi and Tsubaki have been going on. Each story sending an all too familiar ache into my chest. Every story making me more and more miserable.

By Friday, I stop looking at the stories, no longer able to handle the pain it causes. On the plus side, however, the paparazzi have left me alone.

I can use this opportunity to return to my old life. The life of being unknown, and not knowing a certain Uchiha who somehow makes my heart race whenever I think of him.

I look over at my younger sister, her face frowning, her blue eyes full of disappointment.

"Think of how cool I could be if you two were together! I've made so many friends at university just because my older sister was seen with the hottest hunk in the whole of Japan!" She whines, I roll my eyes at her. I lean against the counter of my parents' shop.

"Are you honestly fine with people just being friends with you because you're related to someone who's been seen with Itachi Uchiha?" I question her, with my eyebrows raised up. She frowns more as my words sink in. She sighs and crosses her arms.

"True. Oh well! It's nice to have people notice me, maybe I can jump on the back of your fame and become an internet sensation or something." I shake my head at her.

"I'm not famous. Not anymore at least." I mutter under my breath. Rin is your typical wannabe popular girl, she'll do anything to have a ton of friends and be famous. Even if it means being surrounded by fake friends. Whatever makes her happy, I guess.

"You need to try to win him back!" She demands, her hands take hold of my shoulders and she gives me a shake. I try to slap her hands away. The doorbell chimes and a customer walks in, saving me from her antics.

We quickly serve the customer, an elderly woman who is a frequent customer, and she leaves. Leaving me vulnerable of my sister's crazy ideas.

Her hands grasp my shoulders once more and she starts to shake me. I don't even try to move her hands away.

"You need to win him back!" She says excitedly. I don't say anything as she continues to shake me violently. "Aki! Akira!" She snaps, she stops shaking me and just stares at me. Her beady blue eyes staring into my soul.

"No, he's got a girlfriend. I'm not a home-wrecker." She pouts at my words.

"But… you called dibs!" She continues to whine. She throws her hands up in the air in protest.

"They've been together for over a year, she's had dibs." I retort and Rin frowns. She flicks her black hair over her shoulder.

"But…but-" Rin splutters, realising I'm right for once. "He clearly doesn't love her!" She blurts out. I look at her quizzically.

"If he didn't love her, he wouldn't be with her." She shakes her head.

"What if it's a set up? Come on, Aki. Did he ever mention a girlfriend to you, during any time you spent with him? You were friends, right?" I shake my head.

"We weren't that close. Why would he tell someone he barely knows about a relationship he was trying to keep secret?" I reply. She shakes her head.

"Because the relationship didn't exist until last week! That's what I believe, and that's what so many people believe. They've never been linked together, at all. It's so strange. There's even pictures of you and Itachi kissing in the club on his birthday! So he either cheated, or it's not real at all!" She pulls her phone out of her pocket and she begins to show me images she's saved to her phone.

Firstly, why does my sister have pictures of me kissing someone saved to her phone? Secondly, why is she shoving the images in my face?

I push her arm away. "Why the hell do you have-" I blurt out as our mother enters the shop.

"Aki, language! You're 24 for goodness sake, act a bit more professionally." She scolds me before picking up a roll from the display. She takes a bite out of it before heading upstairs again.

I begin to hiss at Rin. "Why the _hell_ do you have pictures of me kissing Itachi saved onto your phone?" She only smirks at me.

"Because I'm gathering evidence." I roll my eyes and shake my head at her.

"Rin, you're being ridiculous. We were both very drunk. Plus, Hajime entered the club. I probably asked Itachi to kiss me to put Hajime off from approaching me."

Rin's mouth falls open. "That… that…" She splutters. Her shoulders slump when she realises she no longer has a valid argument. "Fine. I'll stop pestering you to get with him."

I smile, knowing I've won. But Rin's words continue to ring around my mind.

What if she's not far from the truth at all?

I push that thought out of my mind. I'm being stupid. I'm setting myself up for pain if I believe that the relationship isn't real. Of course, it's real, Itachi is not the sort to lie like that.

It's reasonable that he never told me about his relationship, we've only known each other for a handful of months. That's not enough to trust me with something big like that. Of course, he wanted to keep something secret like that. They'd lose all privacy they've had, at least now they've chosen to give up that aspect of their relationship.

"So, Aki, how's work been?" My mum asks as we're all seated around the dinner table that evening.

"It's been good, very busy though. Izumi Uchiha is currently working on a very, very intense case and I've had to respond to one too many e-mails about it." I reply, my mother smiles at me. Her blue eyes sparkle. "How's the shop been?"

"Good, good. Your father and I are thinking of hiring some new employees, we're starting to struggle handling it on our own." I look over at my dad and he nods in agreement.

Rin and I both look like Mum, whereas my older brother, Ayame looks exactly like dad. They both share the same black hair and brown eyes. Rin and I both have blue eyes, which is the result of my mother being a quarter English.

"That would be good." I comment and they both nod.

LNLN

 _From: Izumi Uchiha: You haven't spoken to Itachi yet! I just called him. You need to call him and talk to him._

I ignore her text and continue to stare up at my ceiling. After several minutes, I pick my phone back up and reply.

 _To: Izumi Uchiha: There's nothing to talk to him about._

I lock my phone.

I should talk to him, but for some reason I just can't. I really don't want to hear that the relationship is real from him, it means all hope is lost. Without his confirmation, I have the smallest glimmer of hope that it's not real.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I know I said Friday, but it's Saturday. When I started posting this I was a chapter ahead, and now I've caught up, so I have to finish the chapter before I post it. I'm sorry for the slight delay. I've also been quite busy, and will be busy over the next few weeks. I have an essay due next Wednesday and I had to write a review for the Wednesday that has just gone. I have so many assignments due in just before Christmas. So, updates may slightly be delayed, but I'll try my best to update every weekend.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited!**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying my story!**

 **If you left a review with an account, I've sent you a message.**

 **I'll be updating next weekend (hopefully Friday, if things go well). It will be Monday at the latest, but I'll be trying my best to update.**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **\- Yin**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello again! I'm alive :p I think.**

* * *

The summer heat begins to fade, as we slowly crawl into Autumn. August turns into September, and things begin to cool down.

I haven't spoken to Itachi in a while. I've crossed paths with him, but my eyes would fall to the floor and I'd ignore him. After several times of being ignored, he stopped trying to strike up a conversation, leaving a sour taste in my mouth.

I'm sat alone in Izumi's office. She's busy in court working on a case which is hopefully drawing to a close. The case is rather messy, with several different allegations being thrown about and a child's welfare at risk. I can't wait for the case to be filed away.

Since over a month has passed since Itachi went public with his relationship, the press has forgotten about me, much to Rin's dismay. I can walk to the shops and not be chased around by paparazzi asking for a story.

My short five minutes of fame are up, and I'm quite happy. Life is back to how it should be, quiet and peaceful. However, I can't help but miss a particular person who brought colour to my dreary world.

Izumi bursts into the office several hours later, her hair dishevelled and her face drained of all colour. She looks exhausted.

"That was the worst case I've ever done." She exclaims and she stumbles over to her desk. She slumps down into her chair and leans back in it. She leans back in her chair and pulls her hair out of her ponytail, letting it all hang loosely. She lets out a long breath and shuts her eyes.

"Is it over?" Izumi nods weakly in reply.

"Thank God. The kid's in good hands too, and his father has been given a prison sentence." She replies, her voice weak and strained.

"What about the mother?"

"She's getting help, and her mother is looking after her son until she's better."

"Good. I'm glad." I let out a sigh of relief. I was so worried that things wouldn't end well for them. This is probably the best outcome for the situation.

"I'll be going home shortly, you can too if you want." Izumi tells me. I nod, but I know I'll be staying here until my work day ends. I can understand why Izumi is going home, but I'm fine enough to carry on working. Plus, if I finish early I'll only have more work to do tomorrow.

"You still haven't spoken to Itachi, you really should. You shouldn't let your friendship end like this, please let him explain." Izumi begs as she gathers her stuff. Her voice is full of desperation, she flashes a weak smile at me. "He'll be in his office as usual, or send him an e-mail. Anything. Just please talk to him."

Izumi leaves the office without another word and I open up a new e-mail. I type in Itachi's address and my fingers hover over the keys.

What do I say?

I discard the e-mail, and return to working.

LNLN

I flick through the channels on TV, nothing piquing my interest. I let out a sigh and turn the TV off in a huff.

I throw the controller on the coffee table and lay on the sofa, hugging a cushion to my chest. I let my thoughts consume me.

Izumi's words flash through my mind, and I debate whether I should just talk to him.

I'm behaving like such a child, what does he think of me now? There's no way I can save the friendship we had. I cover my face with the cushion.

I feel so helpless and hopeless. I've never really had to deal with this before, I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to guys. I'm nothing like Rin, I've never had boys falling at my feet and asking for dates. I just had Hajime, and that didn't exactly end nicely at all.

My doorbell rings and I let out a groan in protest. I glance at my clock and see that it's seven in the evening. Why is someone here at this time? It can't be Yuki, she always calls and gives me a warning "just in case I have a guy over".

I stand up from my comfortable prison, tossing the cushion aside. I stomp over to the front door and open it, only to be surprised when my eyes take in who's standing outside my apartment.

Standing a few inches taller than me, black hair tied back effortlessly as usual, a clean suit, gorgeous eyes.

My eyes widen and I feel my face heat up.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Except this particular devil is more like an angel, which I'd be too embarrassed to admit out loud.

"We need to talk." His black eyes stare straight at me, his face void of emotion. I nod slightly and step out of the way of the door, I beckon him inside and I close the door behind him.

He sits on one end of my sofa, body rigid and his eyes scanning the room. I sit down on the other end, placing one leg over the other. I wrap my arms around my body and try to relax into the sofa.

"So…" My voice trails off and I wince. I look around my very familiar living room, trying my best to not let my eyes fall onto the gorgeous human being next to me.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" He asks suddenly. His voice is monotonous, his tone not betraying how he feels. My eyes wander over to him, and our eyes meet. My heartbeat stutters for a moment. Blood rushes to my face and my heart begins to race.

I look away, feeling ashamed of my actions. My gaze falls down to my lap, my hair falling and creating a barrier between me and Itachi, stopping his gaze from piercing my soul.

"I feel betrayed." I mutter. "Why didn't you ever tell me? Do you not trust me?" My voice quivers embarrassingly. My eyes begin to water and I keep my gaze locked onto my lap. I couldn't bare for him to see me like this. I'm pathetic.

"It's not that, I couldn't tell anyone. My parents, my father in particular, made me agree to keep the relationship as quiet as possible. Only Izumi and Shisui were aware of it." He says quietly. I peek at him and see that his eyes are locked on his hands, an unreadable expression flashes across his face. Guilt maybe?

"Oh." I stare down at my lap again. The tension between us is strong, making the atmosphere ever so uncomfortable. There's something between us, and I can't put my finger on it. I'm desperate to reach over and touch him, comfort him, make his pained expression go away. Anything. It takes everything I have to not act on my deepest desires. He's taken, I can't do anything that would compromise that and whatever is left between us.

I take a deep breath. "Does that mean you cheated back then… when we… when we…" I say quietly. My face somehow heating up more. I bite my lip and anxiously wait for his reply.

"No. We were on a break, we had a nasty argument and broke up. We got back together a few days later. She knows, she's cool with it." The mention of her bites uncomfortable at my already wounded heart. I clench my hands into fits, my nails cutting into my palms. I bite the inside of my cheeks.

"Oh. That's good then." I mumble. "I don't agree with cheating." Itachi stands up from the sofa and I look up at him. His expression is neutral.

"I need to get home before people start to wonder where I am." He says, his eyes avoid mine and I watch as they dart around my living room.

I nod and stand up. We walk over to the front door and I reach out to open the door for him. A slender hand grasps mine and I'm tugged around. My eyes widen as Itachi moves closer to me. My heart begins to stutter and my breath gets stuck in my throat. His arms wrap around my torso and I'm pulled into him. I wrap my arms around him and rest my face against his chest.

His scent fills my nose, and his warmth envelopes me.

I swear my heart stopped beating.

The hug doesn't last long enough, and he pulls away from me. His warmth noticeable absent. I shakily open the front door for him, avoiding eye contact and praying he doesn't notice how red my face is.

The room is enveloping me in warmth that's starting to become a little bit too uncomfortable. My face feels like it's on fire and I can hear my heart pounding in my ears.

"Thank you for letting me talk to you." Itachi says as he steps out of my flat. I nod, keeping my eyes locked onto the floor. I think I'd die if I let him see how flustered I am. I already want the floor to swallow me whole as it is, but if he knew I was feeling this way I'd want to be erased from existence.

"You're welcome, Uchiha-san." I say politely. My voice trembling ever so slightly. My heart continues to beat violently in my chest and I pray that Itachi can't hear it. I peek up at him through my hair, Itachi's face is turned away from me too.

"Bye, Hanakawa-san." His voice is quiet and full of an emotion I can't capture and understand. He makes his way down the stairs, not looking back at me.

I shut my front door and fall to my knees, with my face buried in my hands.

LNLN

"I'm so proud of you!" Izumi says cheerfully as she enters her office. She heads over to her desk and starts rooting through her drawers. I look at her quizzically and she laughs. "You're friends with Itachi! I'm glad you two managed to sort it out. Did he tell you anything?"

"Just that he didn't cheat, that they were on a break. He explained why he never told me about it." I reply and she nods. Her eyes move to the floor and she sighs.

"I'm glad he told you the truth." I can't help but notice her voice sounds strained. "Anyway, I have a court hearing this morning. I'll see you at lunch time." She pulls out a file from her drawer and makes her way to the door. "Oh, by the way, Itachi and I are going out for a meal after work, you're invited." With that, she leaves the room; not waiting for my reply. My mouth falls open and I stare at the door in shock, before shaking my head and tending to the work that had piled up overnight.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice, and I don't quite know how to feel about it; so, I continue to stare at the door in silence.

The work day passes by uneventfully as usual, by the end of the day Izumi forcefully drags me out of the office and towards her car. I reluctantly stop trying to pull my arm free and let her take me to where she pleases, it seems that any fight I put up will be a losing one. Her mind is made, there's no use trying to resist.

Eventually, we arrive at a small restaurant that's in the outskirts of the city. Most tables are occupied, which I think is what was expected and wanted. I'm quite certain that this is a very well planned and thought out publicity stunt.

Itachi gives his details and we're lead to a quiet area towards the back of the restaurant, but there's still quite a few people sitting at tables and eating food.

When we reach the table, Itachi sits down in the seat closest to the wall and then Izumi pushes me towards the seat next to him before sitting in the seat opposite us. I narrow my eyes at her, only for her to flash a not-so-innocent smile back.

"So," Izumi begins with a mischievous glint in her eyes and a coy smile tainting her lips. "You two are friends now, right?"

"Yes. I told you this earlier when you came barging into my office." Itachi says curtly. I look at him and see his black eyes are staring straight at Izumi, his gaze most likely trying to figure out the intentions behind her actions. My eyes flicker over to Izumi and she's staring straight at me.

"I was more asking for conformation from Akira-san. She didn't exactly confirm it this morning." Her eyes continue to bore into mine and I squirm uncomfortably under her interrogating gaze.

"Uh… I didn't think I needed to confirm it." My eyes move to Itachi and then back to Izumi. "But yeah, I guess we're friends now." I reply. Izumi beams at my reply.

"Fantastic!" She exclaims before grabbing the menu placed down in front of her. "Now… what do I fancy eating?" She mumbles to herself as she glances over the possible options.

I copy her actions and pick up the menu in front of me. After scanning the first page of meal options, I realise how expensive it is. So, I pick the cheapest option available which is still too expensive for my liking. What is it with Uchiha and expensive restaurants?

Soon the waiter arrives to take our orders before leaving us on our own once more.

Unable to bear the silence, Izumi breaks it. "So, Itachi. How's Tsubaki-chan?" I notice Itachi's eyes widen at her question before he resumes his usual expression.

"Fine. Fine." He says in response. His eyes scanning Izumi's face once more.

Izumi smiles at his reply, her eyes glowing happily. "Did you tell Akira-san about how you two met?"

"No." Itachi says abruptly. His black eyes glare at Izumi. I stare at the two quizzically, trying to get a sense of what is going on. What's wrong with telling me how they met? Is it something I shouldn't know about? "Drop it, Izumi. Now is not the time."

Izumi's face falls and she grumbles something under her breath.

"Uh… how were your days at work?" I ask awkwardly, trying to shift the conversation elsewhere.

The rest of the meal was full of small-talk, none of us sure of what to say. I also get the feeling that Itachi isn't being entirely truthful, he's not giving anything away though. Izumi is though, she's hinting at something but she's so vague I can't figure out what it is.

LNLN

 _Itachi has been spotted out with Akira Hanakawa again!_

 _We all thought that Itachi had forgotten entirely about his friend Akira, but it turns out that they're still in contact and have been for a while. All month they've been spotted out together, sometimes on their own and sometimes with friends._

 _Rumours are flying about that Itachi is being unfaithful to Tsubaki and that maybe something is happening between Akira and Itachi. The two seem awfully close and there's definitely chemistry between the two!_

 _We've contacted Tsubaki's representatives, but they have yet to comment on the situation._

 _So, what do you think? Is Itachi cheating on Tsubaki? Leave a comment down below and tell us your thoughts on this upcoming Uchiha scandal!_

* * *

 **A/N: I finally updated, yay! All my assignments for last term are in and now I have too much free time that I don't know what to do with myself. So, I've decided to finally finish this chapter. I've spent too long on it, and I'm fairly certain it isn't the best I've written.**

 **There will be NO chapter this Friday, I'm sorry. I'm seeing my favourite band on Friday and I'll be with my boyfriend all weekend. So, I'll just update next Friday instead.**

 **2018 is going pretty great for me so far. I'm going to try to be a lot healthier this year. Last year I was really bad at eating properly, I skipped meals or just went all day without eating because I couldn't be bothered. I'm going to try my best to look after myself well this year so I can be healthy mentally and physically. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this resolution :P it's going sort of well so far.**

 **To be honest, the only reason why I finished this chapter is because I'm waiting for my Nintendo Switch to arrive. I know I wouldn't have updated if it was here already X'D I'm an awful author. I'm sorry X'D**

 **I hope everyone had a good Christmas/Holiday/New Years!**

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Here's the replies to the reviews guests and any accounts I couldn't pm left on the last chapter (I'm sorry if I've missed any):**

 **Guest: I'm glad you love my story!**

 **Guest: I've updated, sorry it wasn't soon though D:**

 **chavasaisilpa: I'm glad you like my story!**

 **I really struggled writing this chapter, I spent ages harassing my boyfriend on what Itachi would/wouldn't do since I'm desperate to keep him in character as much as I can. I planned the story out ages ago, but I didn't plan it properly enough. I realised what I planned was slightly out of character for Itachi, so I had to change it.**

 **\- Yin**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm sorry I've been absent for so long. Life has been crazy and I lost motivation to write my own stories. So much has happened and I'd rather not bore you with everything.**

 **I want to finish this, so I'm trying really hard to get back into the story. Sorry if there are any inconsistencies, please feel free to point any out and I'll correct them.**

 **Okaa-san is how one will address their mother in Japan, if you didn't know already. I don't normally like using Japanese, I just felt like it was fitting in the situation where I used it. I do use honorifics since they can portray so much about the relationship between people, and adds a bit more development, but other than that I try to keep Japanese to a minimum in my fanfics.**

* * *

"Itachi's personal assistant quit." Izumi says as she waltzes into the room. She drops a ton of files on her desk. "Luckily, we've already found a new employee, but she needs training. So, while I train her, you're going to be Itachi's temporary assistant. If you don't mind, that is."

I stare at Izumi like she's grown a second head. "Huh?" I say, her words not quite making sense in my brain. She wants me to work for Itachi?

"You'll get a pay increase."

I frown at her. "I don't want a pay increase."

"Great! I'll let Itachi know you're up for the switch." Izumi begins to type on her keyboard. I stand up from my chair and cross my arms.

"Hey, I didn't agree!" I snap. Izumi pouts.

"Please? Pretty please?" I give in and nod, letting out a long sigh.

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Great! I'll let Itachi know." She finishes typing whatever she started typing before dumping a booklet on my desk. "Read this, and then sign it. It just lets the higher ups know you're cool for your position to be switched and all that jazz."

I sign the documents and hand it back to Izumi who tucks it away into a file. She stands up from her desk and enthusiastically ushers me from her office.

"I'll take you to Itachi's office and then he'll brief you over on what he expects you to do."

LNLN

I sit at my new computer and desk. I look into Itachi's office and see him typing away on his computer. Unlike Izumi's office, my area is its own room. The room is sparse, much like Itachi's office. My desk is sat in the middle of the room and there's cabinets full of files lined up across the wall opposite me.

I pick up my mug and take a sip, before tending to the next email and forwarding it onto Itachi for him to review it.

I then receive an urgent email from Shisui Uchiha.

 _Hanakawa-san,_

 _If you could print the attached document and hand it to Itachi to look at, that would be great. I'd pass the document on myself but I am currently busy._

 _Sorry for the intrusion,_

 _Shisui Uchiha_

I open the document and send it to the printer in Itachi's office before standing up and going to retrieve it.

"How's everything going, Hanakawa-san?" Itachi's black eyes flick up from the computer monitor and meet mine. I smile and nod.

"Everything's going alright, Shisui-san just sent me a document he wants you to look at."

"Ah, I've been expecting that. Thanks, Hanakawa-san." Once the document has finished printing I gather it together and pass it to Itachi's who accepts it with a polite thank you. I head back to my office. "Wait, Hanakawa-san. Are you busy tonight?" I turn to face him, and he's staring intently at me.

"No. Why?" I ask.

"I was thinking of introducing you to Tsubaki. I don't know if you've been staying up to date with the gossip sites, but we should probably help shut down those rumours before they start to hurt Tsubaki." I nod in agreement.

"So, where are you thinking?"

"Just a small café down the road from the office, it's popular and should gain some attention from paparazzi." I nod. "I'll let Tsubaki know to meet us there after work."

Work passes quickly, especially since it was so much busier compared to what I'm used to. Soon enough, I'm sat in a café waiting for Tsubaki to make an appearance.

Itachi suddenly stands up from his seat and his arms wrap around a beautiful girl. She has dead-straight black hair and her figure is to die for. I look away and have a sip of my drink, my spare hand clenched into a fist.

I can't help but think ill feelings towards his girlfriend.

She sits down and she bows her head. "It's nice to meet you, Hanakawa-san, Itachi has told me a lot about you." I bow my head in return.

"It's nice to meet you too," I reply politely. I try to keep the cold edge out of my voice, but a little bit of hostility drips into my tone. She smiles at me before turning to Itachi.

We tell Itachi our orders and he goes up to the counter. He later returns with a tray full of drinks and food.

I can't help but feel like a third wheel as Tsubaki talks to Itachi animatedly.

"I really can't stand Rin, she's annoying." Tsubaki confesses. "If this modelling gig didn't pay so much I'd threaten to leave if they didn't fire her. I don't think any of the other models like her and she's so lazy."

Tsubaki turns to face me. "What would you do?" She asks, her brown eyes staring straight at me.

"Uh, I think I'd just be professional about it and just get on with it. It's work after all, you can't always choose who you work with." I say honestly.

"Have you had many jobs?" She asks, I can't help but feel like she's judging me. It's so painfully obvious I'm not from the same background as her.

"No, this is my second job. I used to work for my parents in their shop growing up." Her eyes narrow at me.

"And what sort of shop is this? Where is it based in Tokyo?"

"Ah, I don't live in Tokyo. I live in Chiisanamura, my parents' shop is there." Tsubaki puffs out her chest slightly and smirks.

"Of course. Beggars can't be choosers after all." I can't help but frown at her. Itachi chose this? He's so polite, I would have thought he'd have gone for someone similar to himself.

Itachi finally speaks up. "I agree with Akira-san. Being professional is key in any job. We're not children in school anymore." I can't help but feel warm at his comment, and at him using my first name.

"Hmph." She crosses her arms and scowls. I can't help but notice the lack of frown lines. She's had work done at her age? She must live a sad life if she's not entirely happy in her own skin, especially at her young age.

I still can't put together why Itachi is with her. There must be more to her if her work ethic isn't off-putting.

LNLN

 _20 years ago._

 _I look around the dango shop, everything towering above me. I tug on mum's hand and point towards the menu, at my favourite dango._

 _"Do you want that one Aki?" She asks, and I nod._

 _"Yes please!" I say and tug her hand harder. Desperate for her to buy my favourite food._

 _I look around the shop and see a tall man with dark hair and black eyes, his hand grasping the hand of a boy my age. The boy's black eyes watch me curiously. I grin, letting the smile envelope my face._

 _My mother tugs my hand. "Staring is rude, Akira." She scolds and I tear my eyes away from them._

 _"I'm sorry, okaa-san."_

LNLN

I wake up, the sudden memory whirring around my mind. It's been years since I remembered that particular moment.

I check a gossip site and see if anything new has been posted about Itachi.

 _Itachi introduced Tsubaki to Akira!_

 _Paparazzi spotted the trio at a café in Tokyo last night. It seems that Akira and Itachi really are just friends._

 _A close source to Itachi Uchiha has confirmed that Akira and Itachi are just close friends._

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sorry for the short chapter! I do plan on updating soon though.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I finished another chapter. I don't know what happened, but I suddenly got back into the story and I can't stop writing it. This chapter is also longer for several reasons. 1. I enjoyed writing it and got carried away and 2. the last chapter was so short so I was planning on making this one a bit longer anyway.**

 **I finished this yesterday, but I have a strict rule against updating twice on the same day and in a short space of time. So, I'm sorry. The most frequent updates will be every day, and no more frequent than that.**

 **I'm also absolutely in love with Delicate - Taylor Swift. When I first heard it I wasn't sure of it, but after listening to it a few times I really like it. It reminds me of my boyfriend, and how our relationship started. I was so fragile and had my ex try to ruin me and my reputation (ha). Despite what my ex did (illegal), my boyfriend stuck with me and was there for me throughout the whole situation, even while I recovered from it (and while I am still recovering from it). He did so much, despite just being my friend at the time, and barely knowing me. I hadn't even known him two months when sh*t hit the fan. After all of it, he stayed and let me be his. Anyone else would have ran as soon as I told them what my ex was doing, they would have seen me as a girl with too much baggage. He even put up with me when I was drunk and trying to tell him how much I liked him.**

 **I hope you enjoy this update!**

* * *

The following week at work drags by, and soon enough a new week starts.

"I have a meeting with a customer. I'll need you to join me and take notes." Itachi says, holding the door to my office open. He holds out a bag to me. "Here's your new laptop, use it to take notes. There will be plenty more meetings you will be attending soon." I take the bag from him. He beckons me to follow him and I do.

"Thank you, when is the meeting?" I ask as we leave his office.

"In fifteen minutes, I'll need you to set up and I need to obtain the file from Shisui. He handled the case before but has passed it onto me at their request."

We head to the elevator, and wait for it to arrive.

"What is it they'll be needing from us?"

"The usual divorce. Their ex-wife is trying to take all their assets from them. We need to prevent that from happening."

It's sadly very common for wives to try to screw over their ex-husband during a divorce. Due to the high rates we charge, only the well-off use our services so it's far more common to see this situation happen.

Occasionally we'll have a case where the wife wants to take everything, including the children. That's always tough to deal with. Or husbands claiming that the wife cheated and the kid isn't his so he doesn't need to pay child support.

When the elevator arrives, we step into it and Itachi presses the button for the first floor. The lift begins to descend.

There's a jutter, and we come to a halt. The lights flicker, before turning off and the emergency lights switch on.

"Damn it. We don't have time for this." Itachi pulls out his phone and dials a number. He snaps into the phone quickly. "As soon as possible. No, it can't be in an hour. My father doesn't pay for the best engineers to take an hour to fix a broken-down elevator. I have a meeting in ten minutes!" Itachi snaps. Itachi sighs before putting his phone back into his pocket.

"We're stuck in here, aren't we?" I ask, my heart thumping in my chest. I can't help but feel terrified, an episode of an anime in my mind. I don't really fancy the elevator falling and the pair of us snapping our necks when it finally hits the bottom. Yeah everyone was cursed in that anime, and I'm sure there's safety mechanisms to stop it from crashing, but I can't help but panic irrationally at the impossible what-ifs.

"Yeah, for now." Itachi leans up against the wall.

"What's your favourite food?" I blurt out. Desperately wanting to distract myself from the possible doom of us dying.

"Dango, what's with the random question?" He looks like he's trying to fight a smile, the corner of his lips fighting a grin.

"To help time pass. I also like dango, it's just so nice. My mother used to take me to this nice dango shop in Tokyo when I was little." I confess. "It was called Dancing Dangos. I believe it shut down a few years ago though."

"Oh really? If I did well at school my father would take me there when I was younger. It closed down quite a few years ago now. The owner's husband died and she moved away to be with her parents."

"Oh that's a shame." I say. I can't help but remember the little boy I saw there, could that have been Itachi? The boy and his father did resemble an Uchiha, and they had that aura about them.

"I remember one time I went, I saw this girl. She must have been close to my age and all she did was smile at me. No being pushed towards me by their parent to introduce themselves, or their mother talking to my father. She didn't know who I was and it was refreshing. It was very daunting have people talk to me like they knew me when I was younger. I still don't like it now, I never know who's using me for my name to get their own fame or help their careers along."

I wonder if he's just being used by Tsubaki? Didn't he dump his previous girlfriends for the exact reason that they were using him? I know she's successful, but you can't deny the boost her career has had since being linked to Itachi. It's hard to avoid her face that is plastered in every single advertisement.

I couldn't help but think of the boy I saw in the dango shop. It couldn't have been Itachi, could it?

"I saw a boy there once, the last time I went. I only remember it because he just stared at me, and then my mother scolded me for staring back." I admit. Itachi's black eyes widen. The corners of his mouth twitch up ever so slightly.

"She had blue eyes. I remember them well because they're not exactly common to see in Tokyo, especially by someone who's not a foreigner."

"Did we meet back then and not know it?" I say and laugh.

"We must have done."

"That's so weird, I met you before I knew you." I mutter.

There's a pause and I debate whether to question him about Tsubaki.

"How do you know that Tsubaki isn't just using you for fame?" I ask quietly. I tear my eyes away from his face, my heart beating rapidly in my chest.

"She didn't ask me to go public, plus it was something my father suggested we do. He's good friends with her father, and decided that I've hidden my relationship with her for too long."

"Oh, fair enough." I let out a sigh. "I'd hate to have my relationships be public. I'd hate to be famous, I like those sort of things to be private. I wouldn't want every little thing aired out for everyone to know, and have people think they deserve to know what's going on like they know me personally. I don't know how you handle it, having every little thing speculated about."

"To be honest, I hate it. I just deal with it because it's something that comes along with being part of my family. I've just learned out to hide things, something I've had to get better at."

I look at him, meeting his eyes. Our eyes lock and I feel my breath get stuck in my throat.

The air feels like it's laced with electricity. My skin is tingly and everything feels ever so warm. Itachi's arm comes up and presses against the wall behind my head. His other resting on the bar along the back wall, before brushing a strand of my hair behind my ear.

"Itachi?" I breathe, my voice barely a whisper. Suddenly the elevator jolts and it begins its descent once more.

Itachi moves away and the spell is broken. I keep my breathing controlled and brush my hair idly with my hands. When we reach the first floor, I pick up the laptop bag and follow him out.

We make our way to the room, where the client is already sat in the chair in front of the desk.

"I'm sorry for being late, the elevator broke down." Itachi says before taking his seat. I sit in the seat at the edge of the desk and set the laptop up.

"It's fine, Uchiha-san."

"So, what can we do for you, Tachibana-san?"

LNLN

"I think he likes you, Aki." Yuki says cheerfully.

"No, he has a girlfriend." I reply and she shakes her head.

"So? He can still look around. Plus, why would he ask Izumi to trade you over? He could easily train his own new assistant. I think he used the opportunity to spend more time with you."

"I highly doubt it, Yu. I don't know what happened in the elevator."

She sighs. "Well, if you won't admit the obvious fact that he likes you, then when are you going to admit that you have feelings for him? It's so obvious."

"He's my boss! Liking him is forbidden, and you're forgetting he's also famous. Liking him is setting myself up for hurt. We'd never ever work."

"Whatever, but the sooner you admit your feelings the sooner you can get over him, if that's what you want."

I take a deep breath. I don't like him, do I?

Then why does my heart race whenever I look at him? Why does seeing him brighten up my day? Why is it that the thing I look forward to most is seeing him?

I like him.

It's that simple.

Do I love him?

I'm not sure, but I definitely feel something for him.

"You're right." I whisper, my face feeling red hot and I try my best to avoid eye contact.

"Huh, what was that?" Yuki says loudly and holds a hand to her ear. "Did Miss Akira I Don't Like Itachi just admit she likes him? Oh my gosh, someone alert the media! Akira Hanakawa likes Itachi Uchiha!" She grabs my shoulders and shakes me. "I'm so glad you finally admitted it!"

LNLN

I look up at my screen and peek at Itachi, my latest revelation screaming at me in my head.

I like him. I like him. I like him.

My heart beats frantically in my chest and I feel warm. Too warm.

I'm being so obvious. There's no way he likes me too, he can't. He's with Tsubaki, and I'm not his type. He goes for models, and people that are famous. He wouldn't go for someone so plain and boring like myself.

I'm only going to scare him away and he'll stop being my friend. The thought of that happening hurts.

"Akira?" My head snaps up and my eyes meet his. My face grows warm and I fidget in my seat. "Are you feeling okay? You don't seem yourself."

"I'm fine, just a little bit tired, that's all." I lie quickly and break eye contact. I immediately begin typing on my keyboard, ending the very brief conversation. I don't dare look at him again.

At lunch I send a text to Yuki.

 _Akira: Help! I'm freaking out here and it's obvious. He's going to know I like him!_

 _Yuki: Calm down. He already likes you, don't worry, Aki. Ask him out on a date while you're there_ _;)_

 _Akira: Yuki! No, he has a girlfriend, remember? Please be serious._

 _Yuki: Fine. He likes you though, you can't deny it. Especially after what happened in the lift. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't like you._

 _Akira:… he can't like me._

 _Yuki: Stop denying it. He likes you._

I don't reply after that. Something definitely happened between us in the lift, that can't be denied. But why? That's what I want to know. Not that I'd ask him about it. I'd rather die than ask him about it. I'd rather just carry on like it didn't happen.

He has a girlfriend too. I can't and I won't step in between that.

My heart sinks. He has a girlfriend.

I have no chance with him anyway, I might as well let this silly crush die and move on with life.

LNLN

Weeks pass, and September draws to a close. I can't deny that Itachi and I have grown closer, which isn't exactly a surprise since I'm around him a lot at work.

The warm air is whisked away and replaced with cold, nights arrive earlier and the leaves on the trees turn orange and yellow. The green burning away as the leaves slowly die.

I walk into the office, and as usual Itachi is already sat behind his desk with a steaming mug of coffee. He looks up from his computer screen and smiles.

"Good morning, Akira-san." He greets.

"Good morning, Itachi-san." I say in return and make my way across the room to the door that leads to my office.

"I made you a cup of coffee, it's on your desk. Just how you like it."

"Thanks, Itachi-san." I thank him. Throughout the day we alternate who makes us coffee. I sit down at my desk and sip the warm coffee.

An hour later, Itachi pops into my office, leaning against the door frame. "I need to go out, my father has arranged an urgent meeting that I need to attend. I'll be back after lunch, if you need me urgently you have my number. Please cancel any meetings and tasks and rearrange them for another day."

"Okay, see you later then." I reply. He nods before exiting the office, leaving me alone to tend to the small list of things I need to do.

After lunch, Itachi arrives and the stench of tobacco wafts in. I knew he smoked, but he only smokes when he's feeling stressed. It was a bad habit he got into at school when he started to rebel slightly.

I stand up from my desk and lean against the door to my office. "Is everything okay?" I ask. He looks up at me, guilt spreading across his face. He knows my dislike for cigarettes.

"Yeah, just a tough meeting is all." I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Are you sure? You don't have to hide anything, especially if it's making you feel stressed."

"It's fine, I wish I could discuss the matter but I'm not allowed to. I'm sorry. Thanks for offering to help, though." I nod and head back to my office. I couldn't help but speculate what the meeting was about.

He did mention that his father suggested going public with Tsubaki, so how much of Itachi's life is controlled by his parents?

* * *

 **If you're lucky, chapter eight will be out tomorrow!**

 **Chances are it will, I've almost finished writing it already. Someone send help, I can't stop writing.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay, another chapter! I can't stop writing this.**

 **Just a quick note, I have no idea if Japanese bars contain pool tables, and the pictures I looked at didn't seem to have any. I'm also not sure whether they play pool a lot or whether it's common, so if you know feel free to correct me. I'm sorry for the possible inaccuracy. I've never been to Japan (sadly) and I only know what I've researched.**

 **I might add a little fun fact about myself before each chapter.**

 **Fun fact: I know a little bit of Japanese and can read hiragana and katakana (and a few kanji). A bit weeby, but I love the Project Diva series, and I've played a few in Japanese so I learnt how to read through that (although, I knew a small amount to begin with). Japanese I've just picked up from watching anime, Japanese music and I had a few penpals from Japan who helped me learn it. I pick up languages very easily, so even if I didn't want to learn it, I would have ended up knowing some anyway.**

 **I'm such a weeb.**

* * *

"So, how are things with your gorgeous boss?" Yuki asks and I sigh, holding my phone between my face and shoulder as I flick through a magazine.

"We're just friends and he has a girlfriend." I reply. She laughs, a sound that is bordering on a cackle. There's a knock at the front door. "I'll call you back, someone's at the front door." I hang up and go see who it is.

I open the door and see Itachi standing there. I can't help but be surprised to see him wearing a coat instead of a suit jacket. Of course, he's wearing a coat since it's November and it's absolutely freezing outside.

"Come in," I say and stand to the side. He steps inside the warmth of my apartment and I shut the door. "So, what brings you here?"

I hold my hand out for his coat and he takes it off, however he doesn't let me take it and instead wraps it over his arm.

"I need to tell you something. Where should I leave this?" I point to the coat hangers next to the front door and he hangs it up before following me to the sofas.

We sit next to each other. "What is it?" I can't help but notice that the atmosphere is tense, causing anxiety to creep into my mind.

"Tsubaki and I…" My heart stops as he takes a deep breath. I have a feeling I won't like where the conversation is headed. "It's fake. Our fathers set us up to help my father's company." He confesses. I look at him in shock. I wasn't expecting him to say that. "A month ago my father held a meeting, he wants me to propose and for Tsubaki and me to get married."

My heart falls into my stomach.

He takes another deep breath. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I didn't know how to and I couldn't. My father made me sign something, only Shisui and Izumi knew, and they signed something too."

"Why are you telling me this now?" I ask, my voice quiet and weak. He pauses briefly before replying.

"I… Akira, I like you." He whispers. My heart stutters and I scramble to find an alternative meaning to his words. No, he doesn't like me in that way, he couldn't.

"I'd expect you to, we're friends." I say uncertainly, silently wishing that he does like me in a romantic way. He sighs.

"No, Akira. Not in that way."

"Oh."

"Just tell me you feel the same and I'll call things off, I won't propose and I won't keep up the charade." He says, urgency lacing his voice. I look down at my lap and shake my head.

"It won't work between us. We're from different worlds. Your parents will never accept me and most of all, you're my boss. It's just… it won't work. I'm sorry." My voice cracks towards the end and I fight the tears to keep them from spilling down my cheeks. My body shakes ever so slightly. Itachi stands up.

"If that's what you want." I watch as he walks over to the coat hangers and grabs his coat. He slips it on before exiting my flat. I sit there in shock, the tears finally falling down my face. I bury my face in my hands and let the sobs take over.

Kyoko circles around my legs, and I pick her up, crying into her fur.

LNLN

 _BREAKING! Itachi Uchiha is now off the market for good!_

 _A close source has just informed us that Itachi proposed to Tsubaki Sou and they'll be getting married very soon!_

 _We have also been given exclusive pictures of the moment!_

I close the page, not wanting to see Itachi with Tsubaki.

I give Kyoko her breakfast before heading to work.

It's been a week since Itachi turned up and confessed. A week since I turned him down.

The following day I was handed back over to Izumi, and I haven't spoken to Itachi since. He wasn't even there when I entered the office that morning. All my stuff was packed into a box and Izumi was sat at my desk to break the news.

I sit at my old desk, Izumi is late again, and I get on with work. My mind is far away and no matter how much I try, I just can't concentrate.

How could I?

The man I love is getting married to someone else.

I love Itachi.

The realisation hits me like a ton of bricks. When did I fall for him?

 _Two Weeks Ago:_

 _I sit on the edge of Itachi's desk when the work day draws to a close._

 _"Do you mind, Akira?" Itachi says with a slight hint of a smile on his lips. "You do know that these desks are expensive and I'd rather that you don't sit on them and break them."_

 _I laugh at him. "You're so serious. I weigh nothing, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but I'm short and I'm not overweight. I guess it doesn't seem that way to you, since you're also short. Mr Just-Under-Six-Foot." He scowls at me._

 _"5'10" is not that short!" He says defensively and I laugh. I get up from the desk._

 _"I know, I'm just pulling your leg."_

 _I feel so comfortable around him, it's so easy to make fun of him a little. I guess I've been influenced slightly by Shisui. He's always making fun of Itachi, mocking him for all sorts. That's how I found out that Itachi gets annoyed if you say he's short. He's not short at all, but it's fun to take the piss a little. Especially since he gets so defensive._

 _Itachi stands up and flicks my forehead. "We should probably leave. I can walk you to the train station if you want?"_

 _I shake my head. "The press will have a field day with that."_

 _"Of course." He smiles at me. "See you tomorrow, same time. It's also your turn to make the morning coffee."_

No, that couldn't have been it. My mind then flicks to a memory that happened three weeks ago.

 _Three Weeks Ago:_

 _It's the evening, and we're at a bar. Izumi demanded that we all go out for drinks since it was the end of the week and she finished a really demanding case._

 _"I'm Hinata Hyuuga, it's nice to meet you." The younger girl says with a bow. Her long black hair fell and obscured her face. I smile and bow._

 _"I'm Akira Hanakawa, it's nice to meet you too, Hyuuga-san."_

 _To be honest, I'm shocked that a Hyuuga is working for the Uchiha. I would have never expected it. I would have thought she would have worked for her family's company. I guess not, since they are a large banking company. Maybe it wasn't something she wanted to do._

 _After exchanging small talk with the girl, I turn to Itachi who's holding a drink out to me. I accept it from him and thank him._

 _"This is so nice; this week has been crazy." I admit and he nods._

 _"Yeah." We lean against the wall as Hinata and Izumi play pool together. This bar was different, the owners moved here from England and bought a bar. They imported some pool tables and set them up._

 _The group of us is small, just consisting of Izumi, Hinata, Itachi and me._

 _I look at Itachi. "So, do you know how to play pool?"_

 _"Of course, I do. Who do you think I am?" He says and I laugh. I shrug and take a huge sip of my drink before placing it down at a table behind the spare pool table._

 _We play a game, and I win. I grab my drink and take a huge gulp of it._

 _"You owe me a drink, Uchiha." I say and pat his arm. He sighs and nod. I know he was about to mention that I still had a drink in my hand, so I downed it. I pass him the glass. "Another rum and coke please."_

 _"Fine." He says. I watch him as he walks over to the bar. He holds himself with so much elegance and confidence. Whoever he marries will be one very lucky girl._

 _I wish I could be that girl._

 _The alcohol begins to make my mind hazy._

 _I really like Itachi._

 _He returns to me and hands me a drink. I accept it and thank him._

 _"Want to play another game of pool?" He asks me. I raise a single eyebrow at him._

 _"Are you asking to lose again?" I say with a smile._

 _"Maybe." He takes my drink from me and puts it down, and hands me a pool cue. "Maybe I went easy on you."_

 _"Hmm, maybe. But I don't think you'd willingly let someone lose."_

 _"Ask Sasuke, he thinks he's better than me at most things. Truth is, I let him win."_

 _"Sure, you tell yourself that." I say with a laugh._

 _A popular pop song comes on and I hear Itachi singing along softly. I was barely able to hear him, but I stand there and watch him in awe._

 _That girl will really be lucky._

 _If only that girl could be me._

* * *

 **A/N: Akira realising she loves Itachi is similar to how I realised I liked my boyfriend. I liked my boyfriend for ages, I just didn't notice. Until I heard him sing Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne in the car when he drove me home. I'm not sure when I knew I loved him, otherwise I would have used that for inspiration. I like using my own life experiences as inspiration for things, especially when it comes to things like characters being in love and stuff like that. It's much easier to get it accurate and portray it right.**

 **I'm still debating whether to add lemons in the very far and distant future, but then I'd have to increase the rating and I just don't know. I've written one lemon and that was three years ago, and it was awful. It's buried deep on AO3, and I never want to discover it again. Although, to keep the rating the same on here, I might do an extra story and have them as one shots. Little extra stuff, for those who want to read about that. Idk, let me know what you think.**

 **Also, if you're wondering how I write sad scenes, I just listen to anything from Your Lie in April. That anime still makes me cry so much. Send help. I can't even talk about it without crying. Don't watch it, you'll never be the same again.**


	9. Chapter 9

**a/n: I'm sorry for disappearing for a while! I moved back to uni and I've been busy settling in and getting used to being back. I'm going to try to update next week if I can!**

* * *

Soon November turns into December.

I haven't spoken to Itachi since that night.

I tried calling him when I was drunk and alone, only to find my number had been blocked. In hindsight, it was probably for the best since no one wants to receive a drunk call from a girl that rejected them.

Even though I know Itachi and Tsubaki are fake, I still can't bare to see any articles written about them. Or see the adverts of them together. The media is really using the news of them being engaged and the public's interest in it to their advantage. The pair have been models for so many different products.

Everywhere I look, I see them.

It hurts. It hurts so, so, so much.

"I can't have you moping about anymore. You need to move on, and the best way to move on is under another man." Yuki says and sips her green tea. I glare at her, not wanting to hear her attempts to get me to move on. I wish she'd just leave me be.

"I don't want anyone-"

"Else, I know. Aki, you need to get revenge at least. Show Itachi you're better off without him."

"I don't need to get revenge."

She sighs. "Aki." She places her mug down and looks at me sadly.

"I regret not telling him how I feel, Yu. Maybe we'd still be friends. Maybe he'd understand more." I admit. I look down at the mug in my hands, the liquid contained untouched.

"Have you tried telling him that you like him?" She asks, her voice calmer and quieter than before.

"No. I never see him anymore, and he blocked my number."

Yuki sighs. "I'm sorry, Aki. I really am."

LNLN

As soon as Rin sees me, she stops packing things into a bag for the customer she's serving and glares at me. She then continues and once the customer is gone and the shop is empty, she pounces.

"How dare you let Itachi get away like that!" She demands.

"He has a girlfriend… uh fiancée. I can't do anything." I say defensively. She doesn't know that Itachi confessed, nor about my feelings for him.

"I was really hoping you'd manage to convince me otherwise. Don't think mum didn't tell me about you being his personal assistant." She frowns at me and places her hands on her hips.

"I'm not anymore." I correct her and she sighs.

"What did you do? When did that happen?" She questions, her frown turning into a puzzled expression.

"It was only supposed to be temporary, didn't mum tell you that? As soon as his new assistant had been trained I'd go back to Izumi." I explain carefully.

"Oh." Another customer enters the shop and Rin goes to serve them. I use this as the perfect opportunity to make my escape and go see if mum and dad are upstairs.

Sat in the living room on her own is my mother.

"Where's dad?" I ask her and she turns to me. She stands up and pulls me into a tight hug.

"He's out seeing an old friend." She pulls back from the hug and I look into her blue eyes. The very blue eyes that gave me mine. I smile at her.

I sit down next to my mum on the sofa and begin to spill everything that happened. Including Itachi's confession about Tsubaki and his feelings for me. She scolds me for not telling her sooner, but I just explain that I wanted to tell her in person rather than over the phone.

"I didn't tell him how I felt." I admit, my eyes falling to my lap in shame.

"You like Itachi?!" Rin gasps as she bursts into the room. "Oh, mum. The shop is getting busy."

"Well, I should head downstairs to help your sister out. Help yourself to tea or coffee." I watch as the pair leave the room and make their way back to the shop below.

Mum's advice circles around my head.

 _"Don't let it get to you. What's meant to be will be. Just live your life and don't let it get you down."_

LNLN

"I told you I don't want to meet anyone else!" I hiss at Yuki. She waves her hand and laughs.

"Come on, just go with it. You need a night out." She pushes me down in a chair and begins playing with my hair. "I have a plan. We need to make Itachi see what he's missing."

"I don't think this will work, Yu." I say honestly. I let my back rest against the chair and I let out a sigh. "Wouldn't this just prove that I have no feelings for him, it will push him away."

"True, but you need to cheer up. The best way to get over one man is to be underneath another."

"Yu! I'm not going to sleep with anyone else!"

"It worked with Hajime, who says it won't work with Itachi?"

"I was over Hajime when I slept with Itachi, and I don't remember that incident either!"

Yuki laughs and puts her hands on my shoulders.

"Just let me get you ready and enjoy tonight. Kakashi is a great man."

"He's not famous, is he? If I can get through tonight without Itachi finding out… Oh God. I sound like I'm cheating." I put my head in my hands.

"He's not _that_ famous. His dad was." I look at Yuki and glare at her.

"You could have picked anyone else!"

"Kakashi, is great, you'll love him."

I frown.

LNLN

Yuki leads me inside the restaurant and pushes me towards the back.

"Go on, you'll be fine. He's lovely." I frown at her. She gives me a reassuring smile.

I sigh and then make my way to the back, where I see a man with long, spikey silver hair. He fits Yuki's description very accurately, except he's not wearing a mask.

I walk to the table and he stands up.

"You must be Akira, it's nice to meet you." He bows and then pulls out my chair.

"It's nice to meet you, Hatake-san." I say with a bow and sit down in the chair. He tucks it in for me before sitting back down in the seat opposite. I pick up the menu and browse through the drinks, before settling on a glass of white wine.

"So, where do you work?" I say when I place down the menu.

"I work at Tokyo High School, what about you?"

We continue to exchange small talk, the waiter arrives, and we order our drinks.

When drinks arrive, I begin to sip my wine immediately.

He's nice, I can't ignore that. But he's not Itachi. I don't think anyone will replace the raven-haired man.

"What was going on between you and Itachi Uchiha?" Kakashi abruptly asks. I wave my hand.

"Ah, nothing. We were just friends. We don't talk much nowadays." I say honestly, leaving out my feelings for Itachi. Yuki is right, I should try to move on. He's going to get married and I'll never have a place in his life. It's time to face the music and stop living in the past.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"We just grew apart, I guess. He's been busy with his fiancée."

Kakashi nods.

The waiter arrives once again, and we order food.

The rest of the night passes by quickly. Kakashi and I end up joking and laughing about all sorts of things, and before we knew it, it was time for us to go home.

Kakashi walks me to my taxi, my hand on his arm as he leads me through the restaurant.

"I had so much fun tonight!" I say cheerfully. He smiles at me.

"I'm glad." He leads me to the taxi that's waiting out front and stops us, turning to face me. He presses his lips to my cheek before leaning back.

I smile at him. "Thank you for tonight." I pull out my phone. "Can I have your email?"

We exchange emails before I go into the taxi.

I ignore the nagging feeling of something is missing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I edited this, the original was awful. The content is still the same, I've just added more to make it a little bit better.  
**

* * *

I feel like my heart has stopped when I see the articles.

 _Has Akira found love elsewhere?_

 _Akira has a new boyfriend?_

 _Akira Hanakawa is off the market!_

Photos of Kakashi and me are plastered all over each article. Us smiling, laughing and having a good time.

I bite my lip and fight the tears that threaten to fall.

Why can't I have privacy anymore?

The metallic taste of blood hits my tongue as I continue to scroll through the article.

There's no way Itachi wouldn't see this.

I drop my phone on the bed next to me before burying my head into my hands and letting out the sobs I've been holding back.

* * *

December slowly turned into January, and the months flew by. I stopped being followed, the press forgetting about my existence. Of course, they would. I'm no longer involved with their main source of income. Everyone reads articles with Itachi in them, they don't care about the girl he was once speculated to have been involved with, especially when she's gone off with another guy.

I'm glad, I didn't want my name to be well-known either. I hated it. I hated being followed, having no privacy.

Work has been the same, I still work for Izumi. I've passed by Itachi occasionally and have had to be around him at work dinners, but we've not said anything to each other. We're both with other people, why would we talk? Feelings got involved in our friendship, thus dooming it when we get involved with someone else. He's presumably happy with Tsubaki, maybe even in love with her. Even if he was forced into being with her.

Soon enough, the cold, wintry air was soon replaced by warm, spring air.

My birthday passes, I turn 25, surrounded by my family, minus my older brother, Yuki, Izumi and Kakashi. The day feeling empty, like someone was missing.

 _Itachi_.

I didn't hear from him.

Not once, I checked my phone countless of times around the date. Hoping, wishing, that he'd call or at least send a text. Nothing. As my birthday came and went, I gave up hope and accepted that I'd never hear from him.

May begins to draw to a close, the warm air becoming uncomfortably hot.

"I think we should just be friends." I snap my head up and stare at Kakashi like he grew another head.

"Huh?" I say, shocked. For some odd reason, I don't feel sad. I feel relieved.

"I think we should just be friends. I can tell you're not in this relationship completely. It's fine, but I feel like you still hold strong feelings for Itachi. He was once my friend, and I feel like being with you is betraying that." Kakashi explains. I nod. Yes, Kakashi is a lovely person, but my heart lies with someone else. He deserves to be with someone who makes me happy, not me. Not a person who's in love with another person.

I place my chopsticks down and take a deep breath. "I'm really sorry, Kakashi." I say, genuinely sorry. I've just wasted his time, I should have ended things earlier but I didn't. It's probably better if I get dumped, then Yuki won't pester me. "I shouldn't have let things get here, it was wrong. I do like you, just not in the way you want. I hoped I'd get over Itachi with time, but obviously that hasn't happened. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, let's just go home as friends."

I nod in agreement.

When I'm home, curled up on the sofa in a blanket, I call Yuki.

"Kakashi broke up with me." I say when she answers.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She says sadly. "Want me to come over?"

"No, it's fine. I'm fine."

"You do sound fine, I'm guessing my strategy didn't work then?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm sorry."

* * *

A month later, I receive heart-wrenching news.

"I don't know how to tell you this. The date for Itachi's wedding has been set."

I grip the phone tighter. "When is it?" I ask, slipping shoes on and heading outside to check my letter box. I open it, to find nothing inside. My heart falls into my stomach. I swallow, the action hurting like if a shard of glass was embedded in my throat. I fight back the tears.

"August 13th."

"Thank you, Izumi." I say, my voice cracking.

"I received an invite this morning, did you?"

"No." My voice cracks again and I head back inside.

"I'm sorry." Izumi says before hanging up. I let my phone fall to the ground, and I let my legs give out. Crumpling to the floor, sobbing into my hands.

I've lost him forever.

I hear my phone vibrate, I ignore it.

* * *

The dreaded date approaches slowly.

Izumi lets me know the venue and the time the wedding takes place, since I didn't receive an invitation. Although, I'd never be let in. I don't doubt the security would be high and they'd check who you are at the door. If they didn't, it would be overrun by paparazzi. To be honest, I wouldn't want to see it.

 _12th August_

 _From Izumi: Good luck! I've told him I'm on my way to see him, the gates should be open for you._

I drive to Itachi's house. It was Izumi's idea. She'd lie to him and say she's on her way to see him, and then I'd see him instead and tell him how I feel.

When I arrive, I sit in my car, my hands clenched on my lap as I look up at a foreign house. I kill the engine and step out. I walk towards the front door and press the bell.

My heart is beating so loud, I can hear it clearly in my ears. My body trembles, as anxiety begins to eat me alive.

What if he sees me and slams the door in my face?

I'm going to see him.

What if Tsubaki is here? Would she slam the door in my face too? Or would she listen and let me speak to him? No, she'd slam the door in my face. If I was in her shoes, I'd definitely slam the door in my face.

The door opens, and stood there is Itachi, confusion written all over his face. My breath gets caught in my throat. His eyes grow cold, his brows furrow and he his hand clenches around the door frame.

"Hanakawa-san? What are you doing here?" He says briskly. His tone cuts me like a knife. It's so hostile, so different to the tone I once remembered. I stare at him, memorising his face in case I never see it again.

"I never told you how I felt- how I feel." I confess. "You left without me telling you."

His eyes are so cold and he goes to shut the door, my hand reaches out and I try my best to stop the door from shutting. I can't let my final opportunity go to waste. I need to tell him.

"Wait! Just hear me out, please!" I beg, my voice cracking. I fight the tears wanting to stream down my face. "Itachi, I… I love you. I have for ages. I'm sorry I never told you."

"It's too late." He whispers. His eyes stare into mine. All familiarity gone, all traces of what we had gone. I'm just a stranger to him now. Someone he used to know. "I've moved on. It will be best if you go." He shuts the door. I stare at it, numb.

 _It's too late._

 _I've moved on_.

The words circle around my head as I walk back to my car. I pull my phone out of my pocket and try to type a text out, my eyes blurry from the tears.

I give up trying, opening the door and sitting in my car, still cool from the aircon being on from the journey here. I wipe away the tears and throw my phone onto the passenger seat before starting the engine.

 _It's too late._

I grip the steering wheel and let the sobs shake my body. I cry, sobbing into my hands.

After several minutes, I stop crying and make the short journey home.

* * *

"He shut the door on me." I tell Izumi, my voice cracking as I try my best to fight the sobs away.

"I'm so sorry, Akira. I really thought he'd listen. I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me." Izumi says softly.

"Anyway, I hope you have a good time tomorrow." We say goodbye and the line goes dead. I put my phone on my nightstand and pull the duvet up to my the duvet up to my chin.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm so, so sorry for the previous crap chapter. Ugh, I regret posting it. Anyway, I'm trying to make up for it with this chapter. I'm sorry it's been ages since I last posted. I've been busy, and I've been in a bad place.**

 **Happy new year everyone! I'm going to try to update more this year, I know I said that last year, but I'm determined to try this year. I became very depressed last January, the most I've ever been. I'm working hard on getting better this year, I'm not taking my antidepressants (a little bit stupid, but if I get worse I'm going straight back to the doctor). ADs made me fat, I put on 3 stone so quickly and weight keeps piling on no matter what I do, it's making me miserable. I have counselling at uni, since I haven't been coping. I'm on a waiting list for counselling elsewhere, a service that specialises in victims of abuse. The waiting list is really long, and I might still be waiting for several months.**

 **I promise, as soon as I'm better, I'll update regularly. I wrote a story a few years ago, and I updated it every day. I don't think I'll be able to do that again, but I hope I can do something like it. Maybe every three days or something. I love this story so much, and I want to finish it.**

* * *

I frown as I stare at the headline. Of course, I was caught.

There, glaring straight at me, are the words: "Akira Hanakawa leaving Itachi Uchiha's apartment last night before his big day!".

I lock my phone, throwing it onto my bed. I forget the words and proceed to get ready.

Today is the day, the day I lose Itachi forever. I'd rather not remember, and I'd rather forget.

I throw on a pair of black skinny jeans, and a plain black t-shirt. I grab my bag, my car keys, abandoning my phone on my bed. I don't need it. I don't want to see the articles later. I don't want to see him happy with a girl that's not me. I don't care if it's fake. I don't care if he doesn't love her like how he once loved me. It will be all-too convincing, and I can't handle it.

I feed Kyoko, before escaping my flat.

I climb into my car, shoving the keys into the ignition. I twist them, and the car grumbles to life. I throw my bag onto the passenger seat, and leave the car park.

I could walk to my parents' house, but there's a chance paparazzi will come after me. I don't want the questions, not today. Especially not today.

I grip the steering wheel tightly, I need to keep my mind off today. The short drive is over too-soon, I turn the engine off, and grab my bag. I slam the car door shut and lock the car. I walk up to the front door of my parents' house and I open it. I walk up the stairs, into my parents' house.

"Akira!" My younger sister, Rin, exclaims as she pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around her smaller frame. "You didn't tell me! How could you?" She pulls out of the hug and presses her hands onto my shoulders. Her warm brown eyes stare into mine, her eyebrows pushing together.

"Tell you what? About last night? Nothing happened, Rin. He rejected me." I say quickly. Can she drop it? I don't want it rubbed in my face any more than it already has.

"No! But yes, tell me about that later. You made Tsubaki break up with Itachi!" My heart flutters in my chest. My breath gets caught in my throat. She's joking, she's definitely joking.

"No, no that wouldn't have happened." I say in disbelief.

"No, it happened." Rin pulls her phone out, and she shows me the article.

 _"Itachi and Tsubaki broke up! Itachi is left at the altar!"_

I push the phone away from me.

"No." I say, my voice barely a whisper.

"Sis, a representative of Tsubaki said that she felt humiliated that Itachi would betray her the night before their wedding. She honestly thought that something happened."

"But nothing happened. I confessed, and he shut me down, slamming the door in my face." I admit. I fold my arms over my chest. "It wasn't real. Regardless of whether something did happen, they weren't a real couple. It was a set-up." Rin's jaw drops.

"Wait... what? What the f- Hell! How could you keep that from me?" She shakes me. I push her arms off my body.

"I'm guessing mum didn't tell you then." I say meekly.

"You told mum and not me?! You're an awful sister." Rin folds her arms across her chest and she shakes her head.

"It doesn't matter. They weren't an item."

"I'm guessing she had feelings for him, and that she knew of his feelings for you." Rin says. Her arms fall to her sides. "Either way, this is a good thing. They're not married, and Itachi is newly single for you."

"It doesn't matter, he doesn't love me anymore. He moved on. Regardless, I would have never been accepted by his family. It wouldn't have worked."

"He fell for you once, he'd fall for you again. Please, Aki. Don't give up."

"Rin, it won't work. Things are better this way. I'm going to go see mum and dad, are they in the shop?"

"Aki, don't. Go find him, win him back."

"Rin, no. I can't." I shake my head. I walk past her, making my way downstairs to see my parents.

* * *

I browse the vegetable aisle of the supermarket, a basket in hand. I pick up a bag of carrots, and place them in the basket, before wandering down the aisle.

"Akira Hanakawa." I turn my head, my eyes focusing on a tall man dressed in an expensive suit with spikey black hair, black eyes, and a very familiar face. Sasuke Uchiha, Itachi's younger brother. I've only seen him a handful of times at work, I've never spoken to him. He doesn't attend work dinners either, I don't know why.

"Oh, hello. Is there something you need?" I reply. I notice the cold look in his eyes, and it reminds me far too much of Itachi's expression a few nights ago.

"Yes. I need to know why you hurt my older brother." He snaps. My eyes widen.

"What? I – I don't think I hurt him. I didn't intend to break him and Tsubaki up, that wasn't my intention at all. I just had to tell him the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yeah. I never told him how I felt, and I couldn't let him marry Tsubaki thinking that I never loved him. He rejected me, he slammed the door in my face. Nothing happened between us. It wasn't my intention for them to break up, I didn't want that to happen." I reply. Why is Sasuke so angry with me? Did he think that I went to Itachi's with malicious intentions?

"Thank you." Sasuke walks off and I stare at his back in confusion. What the Hell was that all about?

Is Itachi hurt? Is he hurt that Tsubaki left him? That was my fault, so that must be it.

But what if Itachi was lying when he said he moved on?

I push the thoughts out of my mind and continue shopping, ignoring the whole encounter with Sasuke.

* * *

I sing quietly as I prepare dinner, the encounter in the shop hot on my mind. Questions circling my mind. I talked to Yuki about it when I got home, and she thought it was odd too.

The doorbell rings, and I place the knife down on the side and switch the stove off. I wipe my hands on my jeans as I walk over to and open the front door.

Stood in front of me is Itachi. His appearance is dishevelled, and he's slightly swaying on the spot.

"Are you drunk?" I ask immediately, before stepping to the side and allowing him to stumble into my flat. He doesn't reply, and I shut the door closed. He sits down on my sofa and I stare at him.

"You should know, Sasuke spoke to me earlier." His voice is slurred. His eyes wander around the room, sometimes staying still for a few seconds.

"Yeah, he spoke to me earlier too. I think he was angry with me." I reply. I sit down tentatively near him.

"He told me I should forgive you."

"Itachi, I'm sorry. I didn't intend for Tsubaki to break up with you." I apologise. Itachi stops looking around the room, settling his gaze on me.

"I lied when I said I moved on. Akira I – I love you. I've been in love with you this whole time, I never stopped."

"Itachi, you're really drunk." I stand up and walk over to him. I gently grab his arm and coax him into standing up.

"Are you kicking me out?" He asks. I shake my head.

"No, I couldn't kick you out in this state. I'm putting you to bed. We can talk tomorrow morning when you've sobered up." I say. He stands up, and slumps against me. Embracing me in an awkward hug.

"You're so nice, Akira-chan." He slurs. I push his arms off me and step away from him.

"Come on, you can sleep in my bed." I try not to let his words sink in, I'll only be hurt tomorrow morning when he admits that he hates me and bolts. I lead him to my room and pull back the covers. He climbs into my bed and pulls my covers over himself. "The toilet is through that door there, please try not to puke in my bed." I say, and he nods. He smiles at me. I exit the room, shutting the door behind me.

I clear up the kitchen, before laying down on the sofa. I stare up at the ceiling and let my thoughts consume me, trying desperately to ignore the fact that Itachi is in my bed, until I drift off into sleep.

* * *

I sit up on the sofa as the sounds of movement wakes me. I turn around to see Itachi in my kitchen, cooking food. It's an odd sight, something I never thought I'd ever see.

When he notices me staring at him, he smiles at me. "I'm sorry I woke you."

I stand up and make my way to the kitchen, taking everything from his hands and taking over.

"I'm sorry, I sleep in late. Don't worry, I'll finish cooking. You just sit down and relax. Have you had something to drink?" I say, each word rushing out of my mouth in quick succession.

Itachi laughs. "Yeah, I helped myself to a glass, I hope you don't mind."

"No, no. It's fine." Once the food is cooked, I place the bowls down on the table and I sit down opposite him. We help ourselves to the food in front of us.

"Did you sleep well?" I ask him and he nods.

"Yeah, I did. Thank you. I'm sorry for my behaviour last night, and I'm sorry you slept on the sofa."

"It's fine, I couldn't let you sleep on the sofa in your state. More importantly, how are you feeling?"

"Rough, but I'll be fine." We eat in silence for a few minutes. "I meant what I said last night."

I stare at him.

"I've forgiven you and I'm sorry for hurting you." He admits. "I'm sorry I lied. I lied when I told you I moved on." Our eyes meet, and my heart begins to beat erratically in my chest. "Akira, I love you. I hope you can forgive me, and I hope we can start over."

I nod. "I'm sorry I wasn't honest from the very beginning. I'm sorry for hurting you. I love you, and I'd love for us to start fresh."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm back with another chapter! I edited chapter 10 as I was so unhappy with it. I'm also sorry for the slight delay with this chapter, it's a lot longer than previous chapters, hence why it took me so long to finish it. I've been really busy too. I watched three films over the weekend at the cinema (Wreck it Ralph 2, Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse and Aquaman). Aquaman was okay, but some of the dialogue was so flat and odd. It made my inner-writer cringe. Although, sometimes I feel like my dialogue is really flat.**

 **I really struggle with writing chemistry between two characters and I feel like Akira and Itachi have none D'x I try, but I feel like Akira is the wrong person for him, although he's slightly to blame too. He's very secretive with his emotions. They're both difficult characters to write for.**

 **IMPORTANT! The rating has changed to M. This story from this point onwards will contain lemons. I originally wasn't going to, but I decided to overcome my fear of writing lemons and actually do it.**

* * *

I lean my head against Itachi's shoulder and try my best to keep my eyes on the screen. We put a film on, but it's almost impossible to keep focussed on it. Can you blame me? I have Itachi next to me! His arm is wrapped around me! My heart is racing in my chest and I can hear it in my ears. I'm glad I've seen this film a dozen of times, otherwise I'd have to face the embarrassment of admitting that I couldn't concentrate on it!

"He's a bit of an arse, isn't he?" Itachi comments. I steal a look at his face, his black eyes are glued to the screen, his expression neutral.

"Mm-hmm. Just a bit, he gets better later on. Oh, keep an eye on her appearance! It's important." I reply. Itachi turns his head and looks at me, he raises an eyebrow.

"Why?" Confusion crosses his features.

"You'll see." I turn my focus to the screen. Silence falls around us, the only sound is coming from the film.

Thoughts circle around my brain. "Itachi? How are you going to leave? Chances are, someone will see you leaving." I ask. I turn to face him once again.

"I don't care if I'm seen, let them speculate." He replies. Our eyes meet, and I swear my heart skipped a beat. I can feel my face turning bright red. I lean back slightly, so his face isn't so blurred.

"What about-" I begin to say but he cuts me off. He presses a single finger to my lips.

"It doesn't matter-" I silence him by pressing a finger to his lips.

"No, hear me out. What about your reputation? It's going to look so bad that I turned up the night before your wedding, and then you get seen at mine after getting dumped. They're going to assume you were cheating on Tsubaki and it will look so bad." I say quickly. "You could pass it off as us being friends all you want, but Tsubaki did leave you after I turned up at yours. It will look bad no matter how loud you scream that we're just friends. To be honest, we're not just friends."

Itachi takes a deep breath. "Yeah, you're right."

"Why did Tsubaki leave, anyway?" I ask, suddenly aware that I never heard the story from him. Just whatever was posted in the news and what Rin had told me.

"She wouldn't believe me, she knew I had feelings for you and believed that something happened while she was out with her friends. She believed the articles over me." He explains.

"But it was all fake, why would she get upset?" I ask. She loves him. "Oh."

"Yeah, I think the relationship was very real for her." I nod in reply. I can't help but feel a little bad for her. I stole her husband-to-be.

"How did your parents react?"

"My father wasn't happy, I think my mother was secretly pleased." He takes a deep breath. "I'd like to warn you, but I don't think he'll approve of us."

"I guessed." My eyes fall to my lap. A warmth hits my cheek and my eyes meet Itachi's once more. His hand stays on my cheek, keeping our gazes locked.

"It doesn't matter. My mother will love you, and I'm sure my father will grow to like you eventually. If he doesn't, it's his loss." I nod. "Don't worry about it, please. I'll be by your side this whole time."

"I'll try not to worry too much." I murmur. "It's a little bit scary though, I'm from a middle-class family where class isn't important. Your family is entirely different to mine."

"I'll hold your hand through it all. I'll be by your side." His hand falls from my cheek, and engulfs my hand instead. Our fingers entwine together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces fitting together. I smile, and he smiles back.

Itachi quickly glances at the screen. "I see what you meant about her appearance, she's slightly younger now."

"Mm-hmm." I hum happily.

"Is the spell starting to break?" Itachi asks. I squeeze his hand.

"Just keep watching."

* * *

I send a text to Yuki once I'm in bed.

 _Things are cool between me and Itachi. He's just left._

I get an immediate response.

 _OMG! Tell me more. ASAP. I'M DYING._

I laugh at her response and quickly type out my reply.

 _He came over drunk last night, and he stayed over. Nothing happened, dw. We talked in the morning and agreed to start over fresh. We spent the day together and he just left to go home._

Yuki's response is immediate again.

 _Are you two dating?_

 _No. Just friends, I think. I'm not sure what we are, but we're definitely not just friends._

 _OMG. Did you two kiss and stuff?_

 _NO! No, we didn't. Nothing like that happened at all. We just watched films together and cuddled on the sofa. That's all._

 _Girl, you need to up your game. Seriously though, I'm happy you two worked something out. It will be nice to see you not moping about anymore._

 _Yeah, I'm glad things worked out. I'll let you go to sleep. Night x_

 _Night night x_

I lock my phone and plug it in to charge. I roll over in bed and shut my eyes.

* * *

I walk into the office the following morning, well-rested and cheerful. I'm early, and Izumi isn't here yet.

I turn my computer on and when it boots up I begin to work.

 _IMPORTANT: Meeting at 12._

 _Good morning all,_

 _There is a meeting today at 12 to discuss several important topics. You must attend, failure to do so will result in disciplinary measures being taken._

 _Have a good day,_

 _Itachi Uchiha_

 _CEO of Uchiha Lawyers._

I put the meeting in the calendar and send a text to Izumi.

 _From Izumi: I have the flu, I can't come in. Could you attend the meeting and make notes for me, please? Also, could you type them up after and email them to me? I'll get started on them as soon as I'm better. I also have a meeting with a potential client later on, I'd appreciate it if you could see them and make notes on that too._

 _To Izumi: Sure, I'll email them asap. I hope you feel better soon, don't push yourself._

I put my phone back in my drawer and continue working. Twelve o'clock rolls around far too soon, and I make my way to the meeting, notebook and pen in hand.

I've never been to a meeting on my own before, Izumi is rarely ill and when she is she still pushes herself into coming into work. She must be really ill to stay home.

I take a seat in one of the many chairs, amongst the other lawyers and their assistants. Five minutes later, Itachi strolls in. He stands at the front of the room and starts the meeting. I try to avoid his gaze, knowing my face will turn bright red if our eyes meet. Instead, I begin writing out notes, writing down everything he says.

The meeting ends after an hour. I linger behind, and once everyone has left the room and I use the opportunity to talk to Itachi.

"I'm glad you stayed behind, I thought I was going to have to find you later. Do you want to go out to dinner together tonight?" He asks and I blush immediately. It hasn't even been a day and he's already asking me out on a date. Butterflies fill my stomach and I can't help but feel like a giddy schoolgirl being asked out by her crush.

"Yeah, sure. I'd love to." I reply quickly.

"I'm glad, I finish at six. Do you want to hang around until then, or I can pick you up from your place?"

"From my place? Then I can get dressed into something better than this." I say with a small laugh.

"Sure, I'll pick you up at six thirty then?" I nod. His hand strokes my cheek, and lingers there. He leans forwards and presses a quick kiss to my forehead. "Have a good day, see you later."

Itachi exits the room, leaving me standing there stunned. My cheeks feeling ever so warm and my heart fluttering happily in my chest.

* * *

I burst into my bedroom and then into my bathroom. I rip my clothes off my body and step into my shower, getting immediately pelted by the cold water. I squeal and recoil, but begin rinsing my hair. The water warms up quickly, and I quickly wash my body, condition my hair and start shaving.

There's a chance that I won't get laid, but I'm not risking it. Knowing my luck, I won't shave or wear my best underwear and I'll end up in his bed again. Never be unprepared for that sort of thing.

Once I've showered, I dry myself off and wrap the towel around me, before going into my bedroom. I plug my hairdryer in and begin drying my hair. I then straighten the slight waves out, and then move onto makeup. I keep it simple, just light eyeshadow and I thinly line my eyes. I put on a nude lipstick then move onto clothes.

I go through my small dress collection, after pondering for five minutes, I finally settle on my favourite dress. A knee-length, peach dress with a high neckline and short sleeves. It's plain, but it's nice. Perfect for a restaurant.

I then pair it with small black kitten heels.

I put my phone and my purse in a small peach bag that matches my dress, before exiting my room and looking at the clock on the microwave.

6:25. I have five minutes until Itachi is supposed to be here. I pace around the kitchen, checking my appearance every so often to make sure my hair is still in place and my makeup hasn't smudged.

There's a knock at the door and I open it immediately. Stood there is Itachi, looking exactly the same as he did earlier. In his hands is a bunch of roses. He takes in my appearance before smiling at me and holding out the roses to me. I accept them.

"Thank you, you didn't have to buy me flowers." I say. He smiles.

"I had to. You look beautiful, Aki." He replies.

"Thank you," I blush. "I'm going to quickly put these in water, so they don't die." I run inside and pull out a vase from the cupboard, fill it with water and put the roses in it. I'll make them look pretty later when I get home. I exit my flat and I lock my front door and follow him to his car. He holds the passenger door open for me, and I climb in and thank him. He climbs into the driver's side.

"I've booked a table for seven." Itachi says as he pulls out onto the main road. "We'll be sitting in the back of the restaurant. We shouldn't be seen."

"I'm glad, I hate paparazzi so much." I reply.

"I know. I did make an anonymous tip that I'll be at a restaurant in Kyoto. We should hopefully be left alone." He admits.

"Thank you." I say gratefully, my body feeling warm at Itachi's actions.

We eventually arrive at the restaurant and make our way inside, not a single paparazzi in sight. Itachi's hand entwines with mine as we're led to our table. He pulls my chair out for me, and I sit down.

I scour the menu, trying to pick out a drink I'd like.

"Is a bottle of champagne okay?" Itachi asks and I look up at him, my mouth falling open in horror.

"N-no, I'll just have a glass of white wine. It's far too expensive." I reply quickly.

"I don't mind paying," Itachi replies, he places his menu down on the table.

"But you can't drink any of it." Itachi follows rules so strictly, there's no way he'd consume even a drop of alcohol before driving. Unlike other countries, Japan is really strict with drink-driving, and as a result Itachi is too.

"I'm well aware of that, I want you to enjoy yourself." He says, trying his best to reassure me, I shake my head.

"No, it's honestly fine. I'm not a huge fan of champagne, anyway." I lie. I breathe out a sigh of relief when he picks the menu up.

"I'm sorry for pushing it." He apologises and gives me a smile.

The waiter then arrives to take our drink order. "Are you ready for me to take your drink orders?" The man asks.

"Yes. I'd like a glass of water, and could you get us your finest bottle of white wine, please?" Itachi replies effortlessly. The waiter nods and scribbles it down, before scampering away. I glare at the man sat across from me.

"I only want one glass!" I protest. The corner of Itachi's lips raise slightly in amusement.

"Then have one glass, but the bottle is there for you if you want more. I'm not going to deprive you, and money is no issue." I let out a sigh, there's no getting around him.

"Thank you. I appreciate it." I finally reply, admitting defeat in the losing battle.

"I'm glad. Now decide what you want to eat, and you're not allowed to choose the cheapest option."

I let out a sigh again and pick the menu up. "At least let me pay for half." I say in a pitiful attempt to reason with him.

"No." Itachi says simply. I open my mouth to protest. "I asked you on this date, I'm paying. I have no intention of letting you pay a single yen."

"Let me pay for the next date then." The words tumble out of my mouth.

"Bold of you to assume a second date," Itachi says and my face burns red. "I'm joking. Yes, you can."

I smile, relishing in my small win. I don't want to be that girlfriend who never pays for a date.

The waiter returns with our drinks and asks if we're ready to order food. I panic, realising I haven't decided on anything.

I quickly go through the menu and decide on a dish, telling the waiter after Itachi says what he wants. The waiter takes our menus, and leaves.

We chat a lot while we wait for food, and then it arrives. So hungry, we dig in and conversation dies while we consume the delicious food we ordered.

I lean back in my chair, placing my chopsticks down and looking at Itachi who's still slowly eating his food. I blush at the realisation that I'm a quicker eater, and I must seem like such a glutton. He eventually finishes.

"Did you enjoy your food?" He asks, and I nod in response.

"It was really, really nice. Thank you, Itachi." I blush again, realising that at some point I dropped the honorific. His expression doesn't change, and I assume he's fine with it. "How was your meal?"

"It was good, thank you." He wipes his mouth with his napkin, and my eyes stay locked onto his lips. I bite my lip involuntarily, dragging my eyes up to meet his.

"Want any dessert?" He asks and I shake my head, so aware of how loud and quickly my heart is hammering in my chest.

"No, I'm fine. You can get something if you want." I say, my voice breathy. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. What's wrong with me?

"No, no. I'll get the waiter to give us the bill and then we can leave." Itachi calls out for the waiter and then asks for the bill, which the waiter willingly gives him. Itachi pays, and then he stands up. We hastily exit the restaurant, his body so close to mine I can feel his warmth radiating off him.

The car journey home is torturous. The whole time I'm desperate to touch him, to just stretch my hand to his face and feel his skin on mine. My heart hammers so loudly that I swear he can hear it too, my face is so warm that I'm certain I'm blushing.

We eventually get to mine, and Itachi opens the door for me and helps me out of his car. My heart sings when his hand touches mine, and my heart beats quicker in response. Soon we're outside my front door.

Our eyes meet, and the whole world goes silent. My eyes drop down to his lips, before meeting his eyes again, and his head tilts, moving so painfully slowly to mine.

His lips meet mine, and his hand presses against my cheek, stopping me from moving away – not that I'd want to. My eyes shut and I move my lips against his. My hands go to his face, cupping his cheeks. My right hand then tangles into his hair, pulling at it gently. Itachi pushes me forwards, until my back hits the door.

I pull away, my breath coming out in short gasps as my heart beats furiously in my chest. "Do you want to come in?" He nods, and I quickly unlock the front door, stepping inside. I lock the front door behind Itachi, and we quickly resume what we started outside.

* * *

 **To be continued...**

 **This would have a lemon in it, but I need to work on what I have written, so it will be in the next chapter. I also wanted to be evil and leave you all hanging :p**

 **Please leave a review!** **They mean a lot to me, especially if you tell me what I can improve on. I do write for fun, but I also write to practice my skills and improve. I want to publish books and I do creative writing degree.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll hopefully have the next chapter posted soon.**


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